|Homelessness/Housing||Economy||Raise The Rates||Cops||Government||Solidarity||Casework||Action||Support OCAP||Archive|
Friday: Lunchtime Rent Party - Show Your Support By Showing Up or Phoneing or E-Mailing
Submitted by ocap on Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:38.
Stop the TCHC from raising Edmundo DeSousa's rent by 30%!
TCH Head Office
This Friday, October 9th
11.30 AM to 1.30 PM
931 Yonge Street (just south of Rosedale subway station)
or
Phone/E-Mail TCHC and the Mayor's designate on housing Paula Fletcher and tell them to cancel the rent increase for Edmundo DeSousa!
TCH office: (416) 981-5500 or info@torontohousing.ca
Paula Fletcher: (416) 392-4060 or councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca
Edmundo DeSousa lives in the TCH community of Moss Park in an old building with many serious repair issues. In fact, the conditions in it are so bad that, earlier this year, Canada Post refused to deliver mail there. He is one of minority of tenants in TCH who pay market rent and not rent geared to income. This does not mean he is well off. He is a construction worker who has been hard hit by the economic downturn but market rent tenants have to go on the waiting list for rental subsidy and pay the full amount regardless of their circumstances.
Edmundo has been clobbered with a massive rent increase. It has gone up from $979.00 to $1,290.00 plus a 10% increase in his parking charge. You might ask how this can happen since there are rent controls in effect in Ontario. The answer is supplied by Mr. Bill Ward of TCH, who wrote a letter to Edmundo stating, "as a social housing provider, we are exempt from the ministry standard, currently 1.8%.." "As a social housing provider", TCH feels it is also "exempt" from social responsibility can impose increases 19 times what the most grasping and immoral private landlord could get away with.
Ward’s letter says that market rents are being reviewed by TCH "across the portfolio" and OCAP is determined to challenge this injustice. While we fight to force them to rescind this outrageous increase, we are asking for your help in ensuring that Edmundo can pay his rent and stay in his unit.
You can help Edmundo in one of more of three ways:
Send a donation to him via the OCAP office at:
10 Britain Street,
Toronto,ON
M5A 1R6
Make the cheque to OCAP but earmark it "rent party"
Come out to the TCH office on Friday and show your support
Call or e mail TCH to tell them that their 30% increase for this tenant is unacceptable.
