A Stratford woman living in one of the city’s social housing units says she doesn’t feel safe at home after finding two men seeking shelter in the building’s shared laundry room.
A Stratford woman living in one of the city’s social housing units says she doesn’t feel safe at home after finding two men seeking shelter in the building’s shared laundry room.
Kim Johnston, a tenant in the Cawston Street building for the past two years, recorded the early-morning incident this month and posted it to her Facebook page where a concerned viewer tagged the Beacon Herald.
In the nearly minute-long video shot just before 3:40 am, Johnston asks the pair whether they know anyone in the building before impolitely telling them to leave, which they do.
Contacted afterwards, Johnston admitted that she wasn’t proud of the way she handled the situation, but said “constantly” submitting complaints about the presence of illicit drugs and strangers in her building has left her feeling frustrated and tired.
“I’m calling (the police) at least once a week to deal with the drug traffic in and out of my building or the people that I’m finding passed out in the halls,” she said. “I have children that come here, and I have to deal with this and they have to deal with this. They’ve seen it. It’s hard for them. Coming in and out of the building is sometimes scary.”
The Perth and Stratford Housing Corporation oversees 663 units across Stratford, St. Marys and Perth County, providing homes to about 3,200 people.
Kim McElroy, Stratford’s director of social services, said she was unable to publicly address Johnston’s concerns for privacy reasons but told the Beacon Herald the corporation has an extended stay request policy that allows residents to have visitors and guests. Tenants are encouraged to make complaints if they feel someone is violating the policy and those complaints have not increased on average over the past three years, McElroy added.
Stratford also employs outreach workers “to support the tenants and try to mitigate any issues that arise on the property,” McElroy said. “If there is criminal activity or a safety concern, (then) tenants are asked to contact the police.”
Catherine Hardman, the executive director of Choices for Change, a local addictions counseling service, said the video Johnston posted to Facebook raises a number of issues.
“People using either public facilities, businesses or apartment buildings for shelter is the result of the desperation of individuals who have no place to call home,” she said. “What is needed is more affordable housing with all level of supports in the community. Until that happens, we will continue to have homeless individuals in our community struggling to manage very complex issues.
“If people want to make a difference, talk to your MP and MPP about funding for affordable housing and supports. People need compassion, not humiliation.”
Johnston said she successfully applied for a room in the building after about five years of instability triggered by her mother’s death in 2015.
“I hit the bottle really hard,” she said. “She was like my best friend.”
Those substance abuse issues cost her a previously stable family life. Johnston, whose five children range in age from 10 to 30, said she ended up homeless, couch surfing and spent some time in a local women’s shelter to escape an abusive partner.
Johnston credits Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous for helping her get back on her feet during the pandemic.
“It ends up being a good story,” she said.
But living on the Ontario Disability Support Program – Johnston said she sufferers from anxiety and depression – hasn’t been easy. A part-time or full-time job would reduce her ODSP payments and she’s concerned about not being able to afford an apartment on the rental market without support.
Meanwhile, Johnston said complaints about her current living conditions to both the city’s housing department and the police have caused issues. She said people have pushed in her window and tried to kick in her door. Johnston said she’s even tested in court against someone who threatened to harm her.
“I am no stranger to being on the wrong side of this, so I feel some empathy but I’ve tried really hard … and I’m at the end of it where I can’t now be the nice person,” she said . “It’s making me not a person I’m very proud of.”
Johnston has installed cameras near her windows to capture evidence to back up her complaints. Things have recently been getting “quieter,” she said, “but that’s only because people have been getting serious warnings and I’m on top of it.
“I don’t feel safe at all,” Johnston said. “I was a person once. I had two cars in the driveway. I had a life, so I know this isn’t the way you’re supposed to be treated. And I know that if i was paying rent anywhere else, this is not the way I’d be getting treated.”