THUNDER BAY - Tenants living in a north side housing complex say they are tired of feeling unsafe in their own homes and its time something was done about violence, infestations, and unwanted guests.
“It’s not just one or two individuals, there are many individuals in here and they are having the same problems,” said Jerry Estey, president of the Tenants Association at Andras Court.
Andras Court, located on South Cumberland Street, is a 221 unit housing complex administered by the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (DTBSSAB).
The complex has been the scene of several violent incidents, including two murders, and most recently, a stabbing last Saturday night.
“I think a lot of the seniors and some of the people with disabilities have always felt unsafe here,” Estey said. “It seems to be getting really out of hand.”
Estey said part of the problem is security in the building. Not only are there incidents of violence, but tenants also report people who do not live in the building roaming the hallways, sleeping in the sunroom, or consuming alcohol or drugs.
According to Estey, security in the building are rarely seen in the halls, which does not offer a sense of protection for the tenants.
“Very seldom do you see [security] in the building,” he said. “From what I understand, most of the time they are just watching cameras. That’s not security. They can’t see the hallways, they can only see the entrance to the elevators. We need somebody in the hallways moving people out who are not supposed to be here, knocking on doors when parties are going on at three or four in the morning and people can’t sleep.”
A lack of security is not the only issue affecting tenants, Estey added, with the building experiencing infestations of bed bugs and cluster flies for the last year and a half.
“We’ve had the health unit in looking at that,” Estey said. “There are a number of issues. I think things are just gradually going downhill in both buildings.”
“I’m not saying that housing isn’t looking after these things, but I think possibly we haven’t been putting enough pressure on them from the association to try to address these,” Estey continued. “They are taking complaints from individuals and speaking to those individuals, but it’s not an overall reaction from all the tenants.”
Estey is hoping to change that by getting as many tenants together as he can to voice their concerns during an upcoming Tenants Association meeting on Thursday.
“We are going to work together on this with the rest of the tenants and from there we will meet with housing,” he said.
Estey is hopeful many tenants will come out on Thursday, not just to voice concerns over ongoing issues, but to provide possible solutions to be presented to the TBDSSAB.
“We will keep the pressure on until we are satisfied they are doing the best they can,” he said.
