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W-FIVE on TCHC

casaguy

casaguy

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Thought you all would be interested to know W-FIVE will be airing an investigative documentary on the state of Toronto Community Housing this coming Saturday at 7pm on CTV.

I've seen a sneak preview and it is very eye-opening. The conditions of some of those towers in and around St. Jamestown is quite shocking.
 
I live in a TCHC highrise, I've been here for 18 months, lol, in that time we've gone through 3 manager's from Greenwin and and 2 secretary's, Some of the stuff that goes on in this place is just mind blowing, I for one have to put up with a garbage hoader for a neighbor, he picks crap from the garbage bins around this area and stores it in his apartment, brand new carpet 4 months ago on my floor and within a week there was a black path from his door to the elevator!! he is disgusting, not only is he infested with cockroaches but the smell is so bad that the hallway REEKS and in the summer I cant open my livingroom window or go out on my balcony. YET NOTHING can be done apparently, they've been trying to get rid of him for 17 years, but the "mental health rights act" protects him and makes everyone else suffer!!!!:mad::mad::mad:
There are al LEAST 2 drug houses in here, and the guy that got shot last year , lived one floor above me, according to my friend and others as well, when part of Regent Part was closed, TCHC shipped a bunch of them here, its just awful at times, the blind people in this building are shafted and get treated like crap by some of the tnents in here, not allowed in elevators cause of their guide dogs, and because people in here that are not from Canada seem tho think that blindness is a horrible disease...
the security is a joke, entrance doors are constantly busted, the super in here really tries, but man he is so overworked its not funny!
I had a 6ft x 2ft hole in my bathroom wall from the plumbers trying to fix a leak, it was created in december, It took me COMPLETELY flipping out on the office staff after months of promises and even the latest manager being brought up here to see it, it took me losing my temper and going ballistic to get anything done, and even then it was poorly done. it JUST got fixed on Friday:(.
At least we're getting our kitchens renovated this week, that'll LOOK nice, but it wont fix the crap that is STILL wrong and busted in my apartment since I moved in in 2006....
Sorry for the long rant, but Damm TCHC and GREENWIN, get you damm act together...:mad:
 
VCR ALERT

Sat. Apr. 18, 7pm on CTV.

W-FIVE revisits the tenants living in squalor that you met in the last report. What has changed? How much has the TCHC responded to the complaints? Exactly what is the TCHC's responsibilities? Derek Ballantyne, the man in charge of Toronto Community Housing sits down with W-FIVE.

A must-see episode.
 
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buschic said:
they've been trying to get rid of him for 17 years, but the "mental health rights act" protects him :
Click to expand...

Several years ago I purchased a small apartment building where one of the tenants was a hoarder. Shortly after the purchase the Fire Department came inspecting and issued (to me) a violation notice regarding the potential fire risk which had been created by the tenant. As I understand it hoarding is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder and can be treated with meds and therapy, so I tried to get the tenant to see a doctor or a psychiatrist, but he refused and denied that he had a problem. Alas, I expect that hoarding is a bit like other addictions insofar as the person will deny the problem until they hit the bottom. I was as patient as I could be but ultimately had little choice but to evict him (and he made no effort to defend himself, nor did he have an advocate). He had family he could live with so I didn't need to worry about him being totally homeless.

A couple of years pass. I'm sitting in a cafe when my former tenant sees me and comes up to thank me.... for evicting him. He was looking fit and more presentable than he had two years previously, and he told me that it was the eviction which made him realize that he really DID have a problem. So he'd taken my advice and gone to a shrink, went into therapy, went on meds, became employable (and employed) and turned his life around.

I'm not familiar with a "mental health rights act" but it seems to me that this fellow has the right to be treated for a treatable condition, and I question whether allowing him to rot away (and potentially create a fire hazard) is ultimately helping him or his neighbours.
 
Exactly.

So as far as Toronto Community Housing is concerned, besides their legal obligations to their tenants do they have a moral obligation as well? Should they constantly be checking up on all of their mentally ill tenants? Is that really their responsibility?
 
too bad I missed this. I will definitely try to catch the April 18th episode.

I almost think there may be a conflict if TCHC checks up on its residents. On the one hand they have to respect all their tenants regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability etc. etc. and to prevent eviction.

On the other hand, if the residents do need medical and/or additional social assistance they should be checked up on. I am rather unfamiliar in this topic, but are there other agencies that do check up on the troubled residents?

I saw a doc. on the social housing situation in Oshawa, which have its own problems, and the situation there doesn't seem to be pretty either.
 
People living in unassisted housing with mental disabilities do have agencies that will pay regular visits if the resident wishes, if they haven't fallen through the cracks.
Better landlords will do regular yearly suite inspections replacing things like filters (if applicable), checking/changing batteries in smoke detectors, ensuring child-proof locks are in place on all windows etc. At that time if there are safety or poor sanitary conditions it can be noted and addressed by the landlord.
 
W-FIVE is viewable on ctv.ca's online player; you might have to wait a couple of days until Saturday's episode is up.

42
 
interchange42 said:
W-FIVE is viewable on ctv.ca's online player; you might have to wait a couple of days until Saturday's episode is up.

42
Click to expand...

Hold on, I thought the followup piece on TCHC was on next Saturday, April 18th?
 
dt_toronto_geek:

People living in unassisted housing with mental disabilities do have agencies that will pay regular visits if the resident wishes, if they haven't fallen through the cracks.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the resources of said agencies are extremely limited and coverage spotty - when what's needed is a very consistent and at times frequent monitoring. It also assumes that the individuals in question are already known to the system as well - and even if they are, the different parts of the system doesn't necessarily always talk to each other. Falling through the cracks is more the norm than the exception - and that's unfortunate because deinstitutionalization 20 years ago is supposed to have been coupled with a corresponding increase in home/community care - which didn't happen. In addition, a lot of times services requires user fees - and this population isn't exactly the wealthiest of the bunch. Home and community care, unlike medical care, isn't part of the Canada Health Act and isn't considered "medically necessary" - though the lack of early intervention results in increased use of actual medical services, which is a good deal more expensive.

Similiar patterns can be said of seniors as well.

AoD
 
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You can view last season's investigation into the TCHC online at ctv.ca. (Click on the W-FIVE button near the top of the page, then click on the segment title which is "Canada's Worst Landlord".)

The follow-up will be aired on Saturday April 18 at 7pm (next weekend).
 
casaguy said:
So as far as Toronto Community Housing is concerned, besides their legal obligations to their tenants do they have a moral obligation as well? Should they constantly be checking up on all of their mentally ill tenants? Is that really their responsibility?
Click to expand...

I don't make a distinction between where my legal obligations as a landlord end and where my moral obligations (as a human) take over. Or, to put it another way, "legal obligations" are only relevant to those who have no morals.
 
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