Ombudsman calls TCHC’s eviction of seniors ‘callous’

Toronto’s ombudsman says the city’s public housing staff has continued to unfairly evict its elderly tenants, at least one of whom died homeless months later.

Fiona Crean examined the files of 79 seniors the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) pushed out in 2011 and 2012 and found the staff wasn’t using eviction as a last resort, as its guidelines suggest.

The TCHC had vowed to be more careful after the 2009 death of Al Gosling, an 81-year-old man who was evicted for not paying his rent.

“My investigation has found TCHC staff did not change their practices,” Crean said.

“Instead there’s been a pattern of callous and unfair treatment of many seniors, including at least one case in which a tenant died shortly after eviction.”

Crean cited a case in which the TCHC slapped a tenant with a $3,000 bill after his income went up. The corporation evicted him three years later because of mounting arrears and, within weeks, he died of a heart attack.

She found staff had been sending poorly written and confusing letters to seniors who had fallen behind in their rent instead of making personal contact.

And no standards exist for how long the tenants have to pay back what they owe.

The TCHC has agreed to all 30 of Crean’s recommendations, including more direct contact with tenants — personal visits or phone calls — non-threatening communication written in plain English and updating tenant files objectively and without personal comment.

“I am glad TCHC has acknowledged its failures and committed yet again to improvements, but this investigation speaks to a larger problem,” she said.

“It is clear the people who are paying the price are the most vulnerable in our society: seniors who are poor, many of whom are vulnerable with failing health and mental health challenges.

“They are the ones that are being hurt, and I am worried not enough people care.”

To read the full report, click here.

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