The London Housing Crisis
The Ark Stays Afloat, Residents Stage Cockroach Protest, London Keeps Building
Many Londoners breathed a sigh of relief this week when City Council approved $610,577 to support the day-time drop in space provided by Ark Mission on Dundas Street in Old East Village (OEV). The biggest opponent of the funding was OEV councillor Susan Stevenson. "The lives of the people on our streets matter, but so do the lives of the people in Old East Village…Residents and taxpayers and law-abiding citizens have had enough of everything being about the unsheltered and the drug addicted.”
Stevenson’s comment about “the unsheltered and the drug addicted” was disturbing, but not entirely unexpected. Late last year, Stevenson was docked 30-days pay for bullying and harassing a city staffer. Disrupting services for unhoused people in London, without providing a reasonable alternative, is not an option. The majority of councilors agreed, including Argyle’s own Shawn Lewis. With the renewed funding, Ark can continue providing its day-time food, laundry, shower, and washroom services.
Based on Stevenson’s reaction, one could be forgiven for assuming that Ark Aid is a newish entity here in the East End. Quite the contrary, Ark was helping Londoners decades ago. Founded in 1984 by former Biker Tom Reid, Ark has helped innumerable Londoners over the years, navigating crisis after crisis. When London was rocked by a child porn scandal in 1994, Ark Aid and its executive director Jim Fraser helped some of the boys maintain a degree of stability and support. That same year, Fraser and the mission helped get 54 kids back into school, reunite 17 families, and find 32 others employment. Reflecting on that year, Fraser told the Canadian Press “a lot of good has come out of east London…If I died today, I’ve had the most fulfilling life anybody could ever have, because I’ve seen lives change.” Fraser retired in 2009, and passed away in 2016, but the Ark floats on, pulling the vulnerable aboard.
The housing crisis here in London is a weekly, if not daily, news item. When one looks at the cost to rent, which we publish each week for the Argyle neighbourhood, the outlook can seem grim. This is compounded by the inadequate social housing situation in London. The London and Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH) corporation, owned by the City of London, is currently battling former tenant Brandi Bulanda at the landlord and tenant tribunal, after it was ordered to pay $3,533 to Bulanda for failing to resolve a cockroach infestation. Bulanda required surgery to extract a cockroach stuck in her ear. It was ultimately removed via her throat. The tribunal’s decision is now under review, to unsure the precedent laid out in case law was followed.
In a wonderful example of local reporting, the London Free Press’ Jonathan Juha recently highlighted a protest by residents of the LMCH’s building at 85 Walnut St. With bags of roaches in hand, residents gathered outside the building to demand change, voicing concerns about cockroaches, bedbugs, and mice infesting their homes. One tenant, Linda Thompson, told Juha the whole ordeal is taking a toll, stating, “I’m always worried about it, and I suffer from depression too, so it’s not helping at all.” The tenants were supported by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.
The unhoused and social housing landscapes in London raise important questions about the state of human rights in the city. At the United Nations, Canada ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights back in 1976, committing the nation to the right to adequate housing. And no, “adequate” does not mean four walls and roof, infested with vermin. It means “the right to live somewhere in security, peace and dignity.” But it seems we routinely lose sight of such obligations. According to the UBS Global Wealth Report, Canada consistently ranks in the top ten richest nations in terms of household wealth. If we have so much, why do we permit some of our neighbours to go without? To paraphrase John Steinbeck, it feels like we’ve allowed “the quality of owning” to freeze us in individualism, prioritizing our property, our wealth, over the well-being of our communities. We’ve let “I” cut us off from “we.”
With the 2025 federal election right around the corner, the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) is urging candidates to build, protect, and support non-profit housing to “make a meaningful difference in the housing crisis today and help ensure long-term affordability for future generations of Canadians.” If you’re concerned about housing in Argyle, London, or elsewhere in Ontario, its an informative read, worth keeping in mind when casting your vote.
There has been good news as well. Bailey Shakyaver of CTV reports that the Canadian Homebuilders’ Association (CHBA) ranked London third in terms of “approval timelines, municipal fees, and planning features,” which it says will improve availability and affordability. Jack Moulton of the London Free Press highlighted plans for a new “mega-development” on Wonderland Rd. South, amounting to 2,001 units. On the affordable housing front, Mikaila Kimball of the Western Gazette reports that Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) just opened a new 39 unit facility downtown. Unfortunately, according to the CBC’s Andrew Lupton, another affordable housing project, spearheaded by the Habitat for Humanity Ontario, is now paused.
We hope the push for quality, affordable housing continues and expands.
Remember, 100% of paid subscriptions to the Argylian are donated to the Argyle Food Circle and Rights and Responsibilities Awareness Initiative (RRAI). Need help with food this week? Please request to join the Argyle Food Circle Facebook page, where you can both volunteer with us and discretely ask for assistance. Have questions about renting or owning? RRAI has numerous videos outlining your rights.