Executive Committee removes controversial sale of Toronto Community Housing homes from the January 24th agenda.
MEDIA ADVISORY
January 23, 2012
Confusion, uncertainty continue to plague hasty social housing selloff
Tenants dismayed at chaotic process driving potential sale of their homes
...
TORONTO - After the close of business today and less than 24 hours
before the meeting commences, the Executive Committee has removed the
controversial sale of Toronto Community Housing homes from the January
24th agenda.
Tenants expressed concern at the chaotic process
that seems to be directing the proposed sale of over 700 homes.
Confusion over how many homes would be sold, which homes are actually
available for sale and how affected tenants would be treated have caused
anxiety among social housing residents and concern among many
Councillors.
This evening’s abrupt decision to cancel the
roughly 75 deputations scheduled for tomorrow afternoon have created
further concern that there is no real plan and little clarity about the
proposed sale, despite its significant impact on tenants.
When: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 10:00a.m.
Who: Tenants For Social Housing Tenants will be available for
Where: City Hall Press Gallery
For more information please contact:
Effie Vlachoyannacos Susan Gapka
416-706-4405 (cell) 647-882-2776 (cell)
TENANTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING
WE ARE NOT FOR $ALE!
socialhousingtenants@gmail.com
www.tenantsforsocialhousing.com
* Tenants for Social Housing a tenant-led, volunteer organization that
came together when City Council removed the Toronto Community Housing
Board and replaced it with the one man Board of Case Ootes. We are
concerned about the massive sell-off of social housing in Toronto.
I am conflicted about subsidized housing: in the short-term, it obviously is in response to housing costing a significant proportion of one's income. But in the long-term, they provide limited property taxes, while costing money for maintenance and services provided to every property. In the short-term, I believe the current proposal is to sell the low-density dwelling units, which represent the least efficient use of the land. The ultimate solutions to increasing affordability in Toronto would be directing all resources intended to help those of lower economic status and roads toward public transit and upzoning most properties along arterial roads to five stories, and require the ground floor be used for retail, to minimize the travel time for common errands.
ReplyDeleteThe problem that no one is address is how these problems came to be in the first place. It is a well known fact, that if you are contracting for the city, especially social housing, that you charge the most and give the least.
ReplyDeleteThere are way too many bureaucrats earning big salaries who haven't got a clue on how to run or manage the system. There are no excuse for these buildings to have fallen so far behind in repairs that they are in the state they are.
Selling off TCHC housing without total transparency put up on the internet daily about just where the funds are going, how they are used and the salaries and benefits of those involved is a huge problem. But we all know they won't want that. I believe there are those who would do well personally by the sale of these properties.
Again where were these displaced tenants suppose to go?
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