Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to inform Members that the Housing Corporation will be offering a one-time temporary moratorium on evictions for public housing clients with arrears.
This moratorium is consistent with the work the Housing Corporation has been undertaking over the past few years to encourage tenants with arrears to work with local housing organizations to find solutions to maintain their tenancies. We are committed to helping tenants in arrears to find positive solutions to become successful public housing tenants.
Postponing evictions due to arrears is a unique situation, is only temporary and will end on April 1, 2012. To be clear, we will continue to attempt to collect from those that do not pay their rent or do not enter into a repayment plan on any outstanding arrears. However, we will not take the final step of eviction during this moratorium. It must also be emphasized that this postponement is only for situations stemming from arrears. Tenants who damage their units or violate their leases in other ways will still be evicted.
I am hopeful that the tenants see this as a real opportunity to address their arrears, instead of worrying about being evicted this winter. This moratorium should not be looked at as a chance for tenants to stop paying their rent or paying their arrears. All that does is lead to bigger debts and a strong possibility of eviction action this spring when the moratorium ends.
No one wants to see residents evicted from public housing units. LHOs work tirelessly, counselling tenants and giving them ample opportunity to resolve their arrears. The reality is that evictions do not happen very often, with just a few occurring each year. This is a clear result of the Housing Corporation’s and LHOs’ hard work and commitment to working with tenants to maintain their tenancies. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, there are some situations where an eviction becomes necessary.
I would again encourage any public housing tenant with arrears to contact their LHO and take advantage of the opportunity provided by the moratorium to resolve their outstanding issues.
