Senior in low-income housing feels left in the cold as building still struggles to stay warm

According to the City, the two buildings were built back in 2013, and house low-income seniors and people with disabilities. But despite the buildings being relatively new, for the past three years, Holman said heat, is just one of many problems the units have had.

“I woke up one winter with snow on my face in the bedroom and the window was closed and tight and locked. The next winter it was snow in my bathroom,” she said.

Windows not sealed properly have also added to the issues. Holman’s roof also has a gaping hole in it from flooding in her bathroom last year.

Since the problems started, she said she’s phoned the city and community housing numerous times.

” I get from housing, it is the city, you phone the city and they say they have nothing to do with it,” she said.

“It feels to us, for me that they don’t care about us,” she said.

Space heaters have been provided to residents, and the city is offsetting their electric utility bills for the remainder of the winter.

But Holman says the space heaters aren’t enough. During the last cold snap, she said she used four of them just to stay warm.

With no warranty left from the builder, a total of $375,000 has also been allocated by the city to help fix the heating issue. The funds will also be used to fix the foundation and to update outdated fire systems.

” That 375,000 will include a number of projects the most significant of which is to replace and repair piping which has been leading to some heating issues in the building. That plan we have a project manager assigned to it, we have connected with the Community housing society and we are working well with them,” stated Leah Prestayko director of community development.

Prestayko said the work can’t be completed in the winter. Right now, she said the city is in the design and planning stage, and they hope to be able to fix the units by this summer or fall.

Holman said she doesn’t understand the delay, and she is preparing to crank up her space heater once again as the city plunges in another deep freeze. She said she hopes going forward that low-income residents like herself will be treated differently the next time a similar situation arises.

“You know we aren’t given a lot of money to live on. Please be considerate and try to help us instead of saying, ‘okay it’s on a priority, and then you wait and wait and you have to phone, phone, phone,” she said.

by Tiffany Goodwein

Senior in low-income housing feels left in the cold as building still struggles to stay warm

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