Longtime tenants no longer feel safe in Winnipeg social housing building providing housing to homeless people

Complaints nearly do drugs activity, imbibing, thefts and break-ins feature prompted a provincial investigating into the safety of a 55-plus social housing complex in Winnipeg's North End.

In interviews last week, residents in the Canadian Polish Manor at 300 Selkirk Ave. Said the eight-storey rent-geared-to-income building used to be a peaceful and comfortable place to live, but that started changing last summer. 

That's when new tenants with backgrounds of homelessness and addiction, along with other complex needs, started moving in, says Allison Bailey, 62.

"They just brought in anybody, and that's when a lot of the problems really started," said Bailey, who has lived in the building for two years.

A provincial spokesperson said Manitoba Justice's public safety investigation unit has been contacted and is looking into concerns at the building.

Investigations can lead to emergency closures or community safety orders, according to a provincial website. Property owners may be ordered to make improvements or stop certain tenants from causing problems. Tenants may also be evicted or ordered to leave temporarily.

Richard Stein, 73, who has lived in the building nearly eight years, says in recent months, copper wiring has been stripped from laundry machine power cables and flat-screen televisions in common areas have been stolen. Garbage, discarded needles and human waste have been found in shared spaces.

"This is what we go through 24 f--ing seven," Stein said. "No f--ing security."

The building has a security guard at night, but not during the day. A tenant resource co-ordinator is on site three days a week during specific hours.

Agnes Breton, 73, who has lived in the building 11 years, said tenants have found people sleeping or passed out in laundry rooms.

"My daughter wants me to move out so badly," she said.

People who live there once enjoyed sitting together outside but no longer feel safe doing so, Breton said.

"There's people yelling outside," she said. "The police are here a lot more now because of what's been happening."

Resident Freda Campbell, 69, needed help from police after someone recently discharged bear spray in the hallway of her floor.

"I heard a guy running down the hallway, and he was screaming and coughing," Campbell said. "I went to my door and I looked out the peephole, and then I guess I got hit by it."

She started coughing and choking, she said.

"I went running to the bathroom. I poured water on my face, and I couldn't call the police or anything because I was choking." 

She's now using a security bar in her suite to prevent people from breaking in.

And Isabelle Lewis, 74, an avid sewer who's lived in the building for five years, previously used an eighth-floor common area with a tables for pool and tennis table to lay out her fabric, but she doesn't feel safe using that space anymore.

"I'm afraid," Lewis said. "This is not a safe haven."

A Polish restaurant operating out of the building has also had break-ins, with food and cash stolen, said Teresa Szpakowski, who works in the kitchen.

The head of the Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation, which owns and operates the building, acknowledges there are issues. 

Executive director James Heinrichs said the non-profit has been working with social service agencies for four or five years to provide housing for some people who may have previously experienced homelessness.

Canadian Polish Manor is one of several buildings the organization runs, accounting for 169 of the corporation's 1,800 total units.

The vast majority of the non-profit's suites are rent-geared-to-income, meaning monthly rents are based on 30 per cent of a tenant's income. 

"We had a significant amount of vacant suites throughout our buildings, and we really wanted to work with social service agencies on providing supports to individuals so that they're not homeless," Henrichs said.

While providing housing to people who have previously experienced homelessness is not new, Heinrichs agreed with the views of residents who said things have gotten worse in the past year.

"We keep pretty good stats on things that have transpired over the last number of years, and this year was an exceptional year," Heinrichs said. "I'm not sure exactly why. Are there more issues with drug use? Are there more issues with mental health?"

He said no one is coming directly from homeless encampments into 300 Selkirk Ave.

"They could potentially be coming from homeless situations," Heinrichs said.

"They might be going to shelters, those types of things, but typically any individual that would come from shelter or any other place would have to come with a recommendation from a social service agency." 

Residents were reminded in a recent memo to report any drug-related activity, prostitution, assault, unlawful use of firearms and any other situations that threaten the health, safety or well-being of tenants.

Housing advocates have expressed concern that the provincial NDP government's focus on housing people experiencing chronic homelessness has made other low-income Manitobans, including seniors and families, less of a priority.

Ben Leahy, press secretary for Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith, said the province is not involved in placing people at 300 Selkirk.

Marion McKenzie, the program support manager for the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, said its housing-first programs help connect homeless people with landlords from various properties.

She couldn't speak to the specifics of what's been happening at the Canadian Polish Manor but said generally, support is provided before and after homes are found, and staff work hard to maintain relationships with tenants.

McKenzie said it's important staff match clients with the right kind of housing to help them make a successful transition from homelessness.

"If we don't, first and foremost, it's not a good outcome for anybody," she said.

Drug activity at social housing complex leaves seniors feeling vulnerable

Stephanie Skakun, the Canadian Mental Health Association's executive director of programs and operations, said while she can't speak to the specifics of what's happening at the Canadian Polish Manor either, her association's housing programs have had a lot of success finding homes for people.

But she said receiving housing support and services is voluntary, which means staff have to build strong and trusting relationships.

"It really is about getting to know the individual and finding the right match," Skakun said.

The Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation's Heinrichs said circumstances can also change with people who have good rental histories and references.

"You bring them into the building and all of a sudden something happens in their life, they get associated with somebody — all of a sudden they bring in some guests that create some of the issues, I think, that we're seeing," Heinrichs said. 

Canadian Polish Manor tenants said they're not seeing enough support for people who've moved into their building.

Tenant Stein said he's running out of patience and is getting tired of playing security guard. For him, moving elsewhere isn't an option.

"Where am I going to go?"

Reporter

---

---