Peel Housing — Local Government Office in Brampton

ALL reviews about Peel Housing

• Single Mom

  Added 2014.03.22

  Ontario is the only province where low income social housing is no longer accessible to those who really need it, the poor... An immigrant or refugee who has only been in Canada for a few months can claim their sponsor is abusive and then fast-track to the front of the RGI (rent geared to income) Social Housing queue taking the spot away from the senior who has been on the waitlist for 15 years and will die before ever receiving an offer.Or a woman makes a claim her boyfriend is abusive, within a few months moves into RGI Social Housing only to have the boyfriend move in afterward thereby bumping out the disabled person who has been on the waitlist for more than 12 years. Or the two income household where a married woman decides to separate and uses the system to access housing immediately, pushing to the side the middle aged mom who can't find work and is raising her child alone. They are forced to live with unhealthy relatives they don't even like because they can't find anyone who will rent to them when her income only shows $354 a month, if she could actually even afford to rent an apartment of their own. Whose daughter has never seen her mother smile or laugh because their housing is so unbearable so the child has behavioural problems. Our housing situation is so desperate and I have waited 10 years for RGI housing and 3 years for "affordable" housing I feel the only way to give my child a better life is to kill myselfThis is the reality and disparity of Special Priority Policy (SPP) Ontario Regulation 367/11 of the Housing Services Act. The policy that further marginalizes by allowing individuals to swipe away the spot from one of Ontario's 185,000+ most vulnerable, low income seniors, single mothers, children, disabled, terminally ill, homeless with equal or worse living situations; most of whom have been on the chronological waitlist for many, many years. Maybe that's the point of the discriminatory policy: they can get more rent from someone receiving child and spousal support than from solo parent households. And of course repeat the soundbite that "those who really need housing are getting it" when this is not true.Service Managers have pointed out of Special Priority Policy:*Potential abuse of the application process, many aware SPP applicants receive priority status and attempt to apply under SPP to secure a quicker placement *Verifying the eligibility of SPP has resulted in an additional administrative burden and increased cost *Social housing is not the answer for family violence, HSA model is not sustainable*SPP applicants make up less than 3% of applicants but resulted in 53%+ housed*Majority of low and moderate income households never receive an offer of RGI*The shortage of 1- and 2-bedroom units for chronological applicants in the GTA is most significant, with theoretical wait times of 35+ years.This policy was recently revised by Ontario Liberals, opening the floodgates to Sex trafficking, Labour trafficking, Domestic servitude, Forced marriage involving exploitation, other forced illegal activities... so if you are just poor, unemployed, marginalized, homeless, and not involved in the criminal element then step aside; your well-being and life doesn't matter in Ontario. They also do nothing about the fraud (subletting, AirBnB, etc.) so there is absolutely no movement. Ask your MPP, City Council and Mayoral candidates how they will help the 97% of honest low income applicants who dont fit into the narrow Special Priority Policy. And will they end SPP and RETURN Rent Geared to Income housing to the equitable Chronological List system. BTW I grew up in a violent household and the conditions my young daughter and myself are currently living under are way worse. What's the last thing you can take from someone who has nothing? Hope. And all hope is gone.