Tenants for Social Housing

TCHC is hosting “Town Hall” talks to hear from tenants about various issues (including crime, safety, and building maintenance). Tenants will be there to let them know how much we care about social housing, and oppose the sale of our homes on any pretense. We also reject obvious attempts to drive a wedge between those in apartment buildings and those living in single-family (or so-called ‘stand-alone’ homes). Selling off the home of one tenant to fix the home of another is not the way to address capital repairs! Tenants are united in our opposition to the sale of our homes.

See the complete list of dates below:

Tenants for Social Housing has released a letter outlining our thoughts on the Affordable Housing Committee’s Special Working Group (SWG). Last Tuesday, the composition of Councillor Ana Bailao’s was announced, and the members are:

• Alan Redway, a former Don Valley East MP and minister of state for housing from 1989 to 1991. Considered a red Tory in the Brian Mulroney government, the retired lawyer has remained an advocate for affordable housing and is a past chair of the Daily Bread Food Bank.

• Bud Purves, president of York University Development Corp., former real estate executive and Mayor Rob Ford’s hand-picked TCHC chair.

• Jim Pimblett, a partner at strategy consulting firm nD Insight, former chief of staff to then-prime minister Paul Martin and former senior official in the office of Michael Ignatieff when he was federal Liberal leader.

T4SH  has responded to the working group in a Letter to Councillor Bailao. In the Letter, we outline that while we support the creation of the Special Working Group, we have concerns with its composition. Most notably, we are concerned with the appointment of TCHC Board Chair Bud Purves. Mr. Purves has clearly outlined his intent to sell off our homes on many occasions. In order for this Working Group to remain transparent and objective, T4SH request that Mr. Purves be replaced by someone who is flexible, unbiased, and with skills and experience in understanding the importance of social housing and the real, lived experiences of tenants.

Our second concern is that there is no tenant representation on this committee, even though the fate of our homes and communities is on the line. The media release and coverage on the Affordable Housing Committee website does not give a clear impression of being proactive about engaging tenants, other than sending out a survey to residents of single family homes. This assumes that only a select number of tenants will be engage in a limited structure, without the opportunity for discussion or conversation.

The Toronto Star has posted an article today outlining T4SH’s concerns. Click to download a copy of our  Letter to Councillor Bailao.

The East End Tenants are hosting an event for tenants: to socialize, relax, catch up and meet others! It has been a long road and although we have further to go, we need to give thought to how far we’ve come!

When: Saturday April 14^th, 2:00-4:00pm

Where: Ralph Thornton Centre, 765 Queen St. East (East of Broadview)

This event is a pot luck. Please bring a plate a snack, dessert, drink, or main meal item. The possibilities are endless!

The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) and allies will be having a demonstration this Friday (March 16) in the lead-up to the Provincial budget. The rally and march start at 12:00 noon at College & Bay Streets. More details available on the facebook event page.

T4SH and Supporters outside of City Hall

At today’s eventful City Council meeting (decisions outlined here), T4SH were disappointed to see the Council approve the sale of over 60 homes. While these were presently vacant, once sold they will be lost forever. In addition, the fact that Council will approve the sale of vacant homes only provides an incentive for TCHC to neglect and abandon homes that are the legacy of yesterday’s social justice and housing advocates. We were pleased, of course, that the original proposal, to sell hundreds of homes, has been stopped.

One of the major outcomes of the meeting was approval of a Special Working Group, chaired by Ana Bailao. The group will look at the implications of the proposed sale of the over 600 “stand-alone” homes for residents, on a property-by-property basis. It will look at the possibility of non-profits or tenants themselves purchasing the homes. The group will also explore how to find additional subsidies, and explore a new intergovernmental strategy to assist in engaging federal and provincial governments in securing long-term sustainable funding in providing safe, secure, and affordable housing in Toronto. The group will submit its report to Executive Committee on September, 10, 2012.

Despite the compelling words of several Councillors who spoke against the sale of the 56 vacant homes (thanks to Janet Davis, Joe Mihevc, Raymond Cho, Gord Perks, Mike Layton! Paula Fletcher!), the motion to sell was carried 31-12 (Peruzza, Vaughan, McConnell, De Baeremaeker, Doucette, Fragedakis, and McConnell also voted against the sale of the 56 homes).

Efforts by several Councillors to make amendments were not successful. Councillor Adam Vaughan moved that instead of 100% of the proceeds from the sale (of 56 homes) going towards a State of Good Repair fund, that 50% should instead go towards housing renewal initiatives. This motion did not pass (18-23). Vaughan also attempted to blunt the market-driven edge from the sales, and make it easier for the properties to go to not-for-profit housing providers. This was lost 18-23. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam made a motion with a similar intent, which did not carry.

Tenants for Social Housing will remain dedicated to this issue, and work to ensure that the sale of homes does not creep back onto the table as a part of the Working Group recommendations. We are grateful to all the tenants and supporters who have been along for the ride so far – while we are deeply disappointed about the potential sale of 56 homes, our efforts have gone a long way towards stopping a massive sell-off of social housing. We will also put our efforts into trying to stop this partial sale at the Province!

T4SH give our supportive Councillors a thumbs up

To read more: Check out David Rider’s Toronto Star piece on the meeting.

Toronto City’s Council will be meeting on March 5th/6th (see agenda) and voting on the recommendation from Executive Committee to create a task force to look at potential solutions to TCHC’s repair problems, and sell over 60 “stand-alone” TCHC homes that are presently vacant. The City Manager has also been asked to bring forward a report outlining: (1) the details of the repair backlog, as it is related to the split between the former Ontario Housing Corporation, CityHome, and Seniors Housing portfolios; and (2) the Official Plan Amendments required to sell TCHC homes, on a property-by-property basis.

While the creation of a task force is a great first step,there are still homes that are up for sale. We have said from day one that we are opposed to even one home being sold, since it reduces our housing stock and does absolutely nothing for the tens of thousands of families on the waiting list for housing. It also opens the door for cannibalizing more and more of our social housing stock.

Please join us in showing your support by:

1. Coming down to City Hall on March 5th (and possibly 6th). The meetings start at 9:30am. We are not sure when our item will come forward, if we find out, we’ll post it on the website.

2. Email your Councillor and let them know that while you feel the task force is a good step forward, we are opposed to the sale of any homes!

3. If you haven’t already … sign the petition!