Sudbury taking 'baby steps' tackling subsidized housing challenges

More than a year after taking control of subsidized housing from the Greater Sudbury Housing Corporation, the city of Greater Sudbury is still fielding complaints about the condition of some of the properties.

Last year the city assumed control of the operation of 1,800 housing units. Since then it has faced a barrage of complaints from tenants about basic maintenance to more serious allegations of drug use and illegal activities on the properties.

When it took over in 2018, housing director Barb Dubois said the city knew it would be opening the channels of communication between tenants and their new landlord.

"We've rolled out a number of things this year to increase our tenant engagement," Dubois said. "We had sessions and coffee chats that the city assisted us with."

The city has also teamed with the Local Health Integration Network and the Victorian Order of Nurses to provide health care, exercise programs and community services like an after-school program for kids. 

But with the extra contact comes an awareness that things aren't perfect on the various properties.

"It's baby steps," Dubois said. "So we're in the process of transitioning and rolling these things out. I mean with anything there's growing pains. But I think it's working well. It's getting the tenants to trust us, to report the things back to us so that we can deal with them in a timely manner." 

But Colin McKerral said the city has a long way to go before there's enough trust built up between the city and its tenants.

McKerral, who has been a tenant on Louis Street for several years, said he has voiced concerns to the city's housing department, and some interactions have been adversarial.

McKerral has even signed on to be an advocate for others who feel their concerns are ignored.

Several tenants from Louis Street, Cabot Street and Bruce Avenue spoke with CBC News but declined to go on record.  

McKerral said other tenants look to him to be their voice if they're afraid.
 
"Everybody thought there was going to be a big change when the city was going to take over," McKerral said. "But it's still the same, if not worse in certain departments, like maintenance and cleaning up needles."

McKerral estimates he picks up 100 discarded needles a week. He said drug use is visible on Louis Street, and he's even interrupted drug deals in broad daylight.

"The challenge right now is trying to get most of the dealers and users out, because what they do is they bring in the bad crowd from the downtown area," McKerral said. 

He said drug use is so prevalent that other tenants won't speak up out of fear there will be repercussions. 

"[Louis Street] is for families and kids, and  it's not family oriented anymore," he said. "Housing and the city bowed down to the users and dealers because they're scared of them, too."

But Dubois said the answer isn't as simple as kicking out the problem tenants.

"What I hear is people out there don't believe that we should be treating people who use drugs or giving them a second chance, helping them along, helping them get services," she said. "We are social housing and we need to be compassionate and we need to work with them."

"Evictions should be a last resort."

Dubois added that by provincial law, tenants can be evicted if they are engaging in criminal activity on social housing property. They can also be kicked out of the housing system if they have been charged with illegal activity while on social housing property.