TCHC policy putting tenants’ safety at risk: ombudsman

Tenants who had serious safety concerns about the Toronto Community Housing Corp. (TCHC) buildings where they lived were unfairly denied transfers, the city’s ombudsman says.

Susan Opler began an investigation into TCHC policies after two households complained they weren’t allowed to move despite experiencing violence in their homes.

A young mother asked to be moved after she witnessed a violent crime outside her building and, soon after, an intruder entered her home and left a gun in her child’s drawer.

Another family wanted a transfer after someone fired gunshots into their living room and their children were assaulted on their way home from school.

The ombudsman said the families weren’t given enough priority and they had “false hope.”

“Very few of the almost 1,500 households on the Medical and Safety at Risk waiting list have any prospect of being quickly transferred to another unit,” Opler said.

“In fact, our Investigation found that almost 55 per cent of the eligible households have been on the waiting list for five years or more.”

Opler said those who have more space than they need — called “overhoused” — were given a higher priority, so the TCHC can maximize use of its housing.

“Tenants whose units are putting their health or safety at risk are stuck on a bloated, stagnant waiting list, with the overhoused waiting list ahead of them,” Opler said.

Opler made 21 recommendations, including creating a “crisis” transfer category — which would rank higher than the “overhoused” category — for the most urgent health and safety cases.

The TCHC said it would implement a new system by the end of June, and the “crisis” category would rank second highest — below victims of abuse who need to move. Overhoused would be the third priority.

The city said it supports the ombudsman’s recommendations.

Read the full report here.