Tenant Helpline Established
October 3, 2005

Hamilton's 66,000 tenant households now have a phone helpline to turn to for information about their rights, including how to start a tenants' association. The goal of the project is to help tenants prevent eviction and assist them in finding and maintaining affordable housing.

The service is an initiative of the Solutions for Housing Action Committee (SHAC) and was unveiled this morning at the Housing Help Centre. Social planner Jeff Wingard told the media conference that SHAC wants "to ensure everyone has access to safe, affordable, accessible and adequate housing".

He pointed out that people on welfare and disability payments have had their incomes frozen since Harris government cut benefits by 22% in 1995 "while average rents have increased by thirty percent". Emergency shelter use in Hamilton has now reached 400 people a night - more than double the rate in 1998 when provincial legislation weakened tenant rights and allowed increased rents.

The Hamilton helpline has been made possible by a grant from the federal Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative. A similar service has operated in Toronto since the 1970s. It's funded by the city government but operated by the Metro Association of Tenant Associations. Toronto City Council also has a Tenant Defence subcommittee.

Funding for the Hamilton helpline is only secure until March of next year, after which it's future is uncertain. But the service does have the support of Mayor Larry Di Ianni who attended this morning's launch and emphasized its importance by relating the difficulties facing his niece in Toronto who may be evicted because her roommate left the gas on in their basement apartment - a situation the mayor found unfair.

Di Ianni linked the new Hamilton helpline to the recently established roundtable on poverty which he praised as "probably the most important work that we're doing in the city right now". He also pointed to the current construction of 125 new units of affordable housing as another indication of progress, although he acknowledged this "was not nearly quickly enough".

The helpline number is (905) 526-9119. Assistance can also be accessed by email at hamiltontenanthelpline@gmail.com.

SHAC's work is highlighted on the Hamilton Tenant Education Project website at http://www.hamiltontenant.ca.

Information about the Toronto hotline can be viewed at http://www.torontotenants.org/tenanthotline.htm.