December 6th, 2012
Tenant Erin Tilling Feels Fear In Government Provided Housing Every Night. Time For the Government to Encourage Safe Private Rental Housing Providers
What’s the Situation?
A hearing impaired tenant in government housing lives in fear each night.
How Bad Is It?
She says it’s frightening. It’s especially horrifying on week-ends.
Why Doesn’t She Move?
She wants to escape government housing but can’t find any other accommodation.
Where Is She and Why Is She So Scared?
She lives in Manitoba Housing, apartment block at 375 on Assiniboine Ave.
She’s scared because another tenant , Hank Lecoy,was murdered last month in his apartment in the same building.
Was This An Isolated Incident?
No. She says she always sees people fighting in the hallways. It gets worse on weekends. It’s a nightmare.
Is so bad she hides in her apartment during weekends. This isn’t the only example of tenant violence in Manitoba.
How Long Has She Lived There?
She’s lived in the apartment for 3 years now. She trusts her next door neighbours. The apartment doesn’t look so bad.
It’s the lack of proper management and the violence that causes her sleepless nights.
How Much Rent Does She Pay?
Her rent is $285/month. Like all the other tenants here, the rent is paid by the government. She is disabled.
Management either doesn’t know how to evict bad tenants or doesn’t want to. The property is not professionally managed. The government won’t hire a top quality management team to fix the issues.
Tilling says people always sneak in to the building and end up staying with existing tenants. Strangers enter the building regularly.
Have There Been Any Other Tenant Incidents?
Many! A lot of tenant vs. tenant violence.
In October there was a police standoff with an man with a gun.
In 2009 a woman died after being shoved by her then boyfriend. The list goes on.
What is the Government Doing About This?
They are holding meetings. The tenant says these won’t help. And who knows what will happen there next and what the results will be.
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It’s Time For the Government To Take Action and Improve Government Housing. The Government Should Also Encourage More Private Investment From Small Landlords To Increase the Affordable Rental Stock in Manitoba.