Human Rights complaints launched over PDD Housing
New provincial housing rules for people with severe disabilities have sparked two complaints to Alberta's Human Rights Commission.
“I’m hopeful that the human rights commission will point out to government who's not listening that you know what - you are taking away people’s rights,” said Marie Renaud, executive director of the LoSeCa Foundation.
“People with disabilities have the right to live wherever they like.”
A second complaint was launched by an Edmonton parent who worries her 51-year old son might end up in a long term care facility.
Renaud said People with Developmental Disabilities Safety Standards introduced by the province two years ago will severely limit housing options for many people of those receiving government support.
Under the regulation, service providers must show housing has passed several inspections and complies with municipal codes and bylaws by April 1, 2015.
Renaud said the single family dwellings owned and rented by LoSeCa now require cost-prohibitive renovations that turn them into “mini institutions” such as sprinkler systems and firewalls. She warned it will lead to evictions.
“(The government) needs to recognize that this is dangerous,” said Renaud. “They need to stop it before irreparable damage is done.”
The Calgary SCOPE Society said some landlords have already rejected additional inspections.
“They’ve sent a letter saying this needs to get solved or we will not rent to you,” said executive director, Ryan Geake, adding many PDD clients feel their rights are being violated because they say inspections are not mandatory for all Albertans.
The regulation and enforcement create defacto housing discrimination and could lead to homelessness, states a report released last month by the Alberta Council of Disability Services.
In one case, it describes a woman with nowhere else to go but the Alberta Hospital after inspectors deemed a window in her home an improper emergency exit. Similarly, a landlord gave two roommates of 20 years notice rather than make upgrades. It took the pair three months to find a new home.
The report said the high cost of sprinkler systems has led to several evictions. It recommends additional financial support for PDD housing that meets safety standards and combining inspections.
“In many cases fixing the problems identified don’t make an individual’s life safer,” said Kathleen Biersdorff, the author of the report.
Human services provincial spokesperson Mike Berezowsky said the new rules enforce existing standards, including a change to licensing requirements in Edmonton.
The regulation stemmed from a fatality inquiry into the death of a woman with Down syndrome in a 2007 house fire in Edmonton, he said. The judge recommended licensing should take place regardless of the number of residents and said inspections must take place before that licence is issued.
In response, the province has formed a working group with cities and service providers. It said it will work with agencies that cannot make the deadline, and could grant temporary exemptions.
“We certainly don’t want to see disruptions in the lives of the vulnerable people we support,” said Mike Berezowsky, a spokesperson for Human Services.
“However, their safety is our first priority and that’s what their families would expect.”
