At-risk women living in a London hotel face eviction as rent goes up

Thirteen women currently living in a London hotel as they await permanent housing are being evicted due to a hike in rent that program coordinators say will cause a disruption in their lives.

The women, who are considered at-risk due to addiction issues, mental health concerns or a history of domestic violence, are staying at the unnamed hotel that's known as Holly's House. CBC News is not naming the hotel due to concerns for their safety. 

The tenants received a letter on Dec. 5 saying that the lease would expire on March 31, 2023 and that an alternative location had not yet been secured. 

"It's going to be a disruption," said Jessie Rodger, executive director at Anova and one of the partners of Holly's House.

"It's not ideal. But I think they're trying to do their best to find somewhere that fits the needs of everybody, and also can be done sort of the deadline that the location has given us," she said.

The hotel program started two years ago and is run collaboratively by Anova, Street Level Women at Risk (SLWAR), My Sister's Place, London Cares and Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The program currently has funding until June 2024.

The exact cost of renting rooms in the hotel was not available, but CMHA's Manager of Outreach Kristy Bell said it's thousands of dollars each month to lease the space. She said the rent was going up by ten per cent in March, making it unaffordable. 

Still time to find a new location

"I'm not really looking at a worst case scenario right now. But while we look for another location, we'll be simultaneously working very diligently with everybody involved in the program to give them their best shot to find a location," Bell said.

She explained that staff are currently meeting with the residents to discuss housing options, recognizing that having to move may be unsettling for some participants. 

"The safety of the women is the most important. Location is important as well," said Bell about the search for a new space. 

In the past two years, CMHA said Holly's House has given 140 women a safe place to live while they secured permanent housing. Two women have also had their babies while in the program, and with the support of staff, mother and baby have stayed together. 

Ward 13 Councillor David Ferreira said he's been in touch with residents and he's hopeful a new location will be found. 

"Their time there is now limited with this eviction letter. It's cold outside, so we don't we don't want to see that," he said. "I'm hoping that we find something for them," he added.