A local housing program that connects homeless Londoners with affordable apartments is facing scrutiny after a landlord claims he was left with an apartment full of debris, a costly repair bill, and threats to his safety. A two-minute cellphone video recorded by the landlord tours an apartment in east London that was recently vacated by the tenant after seven to eight months. It reveals debris-filled rooms with threatening graffiti on the walls, drug paraphernalia in the bedrooms, and a stairwell to the front door that is filled with garbage. The landlord also points out a shower curtain covered in insects, disabled smoke detectors, and damage to the interior doors and walls. Coun. Susan Stevenson said the landlord wants to remain anonymous after being threatened with violence by someone not on the lease. “This is something that we see on social media. We hear about these horrendous living conditions, but I don’t think any of us expected that we would see that in a city program,” Stevenson said. In a text message, the Landlord estimates the damage and associated expenses will cost him over $10,000. Plus the apartment won’t be available to rent for at least two months while it’s cleaned and repaired. “I will never rent to [a] housing organization again,” he texted. Stevenson said the housing program was supposed to include regular visits by support workers to ensure the tenant was on the right track. “Taxpayers are funding the rent, they’re funding the supervision, and we’re doing this to [landlords] who wanted to help,” she added. According to Stevenson, the apartment was part of Project Home, a housing first program that includes a partnership between City Hall, St. Leonard’s Community Services, and a number of smaller organizations that visit and provide support to tenants. Project Home works with individuals referred by the City of London’s Homeless Prevention Team. In keeping with the principles of London’s Homeless Prevention System and the housing first philosophy, it operates on the belief that everyone deserves a home first, and then agencies provide the support they need to stay housed. “We have been supporting probably somewhere over 200 individuals getting them into housing,” explained Michael Oates, executive director of St. Leonard’s Community Services London Region. “The types of issues that [the video’s] referring to have only really happened a handful of times. And usually we’re able to work with landlords to try and do some remediation or do some repairs and correct things when they come up.” Stevenson said the video should raise questions about the current level of supervision and support provided to tenants with high needs. She said the situation exposed by the video put the program’s tenants, their neighbours in the building, and the landlord at risk. “It’s a fire hazard and there’s extreme hoarding, there’s lots of evidence of illegal drug use, and pests,” Stevenson explained. Oates said that the level of support and frequency of visits is based on an assessment of the tenant’s needs. “Somebody that’s been housed for a while and things are moving well, it’s a minimum of a monthly check-in,” he explained. “At the initial stages, it could be every week. It could be several times a week. So it really depends on the situation.” Stevenson wants council to get more involved in ensuring that high-needs individuals are placed in housing with the correct level of security and supports. “This is an emergency situation,” she said. “I met with the mayor yesterday because he needs to know. We’re discussing what can be brought forward as an emergent motion [to a council committee].” Oates told CTV News, “We are in touch with the city all the time. We have connections at multiple levels, from coordinated access to leadership. A review by the city would be nothing that we would shy away from.” Stevenson intends to bring a motion to the Community and Protective Services Committee meeting on Sept. 8.
