After a string of fires and squalid living conditions resulted in the shutdown of several rooming houses in Moncton, those in need have been left with few places to turn.
The problem has led to a crackdown by the city and fire department on low-income dwellings.
Gillian Johnson, the senior director of YMCA ReConnect, is calling it a crisis that needs a quick fix.
“These aren't livable or safe conditions, so they have no choice but to condemn them right away,” she said. “Then you've got anywhere from five to 15 people that are homeless right away.”
The City of Moncton is also seeking out more filthy rooming houses scattered across the city.
Several of the legal and illegal buildings have been shut down over the past weeks, and plans are already being made to tear some down.
“Poverty, mental health, health issues, addictions, it's a real struggle,” said Debby Warren, executive director of Aids Moncton. “Without housing, it's hard for us to help stabilize them.”
While some of those forced out of their homes say the shutdowns are blessings in disguise, workers trying to find alternate housing say the shutdowns are a double-edged sword.
“No one really has a handle on how many rooming houses there are in the city,” said Laura Selig of the Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee. “We'd like to think we know where a lot of them are, but there's no particular count.”
Johnson adds that a lot of the houses right now are full and that there is more than what is advertised on the group’s rooming house guide.
Both groups would like to see non-government subsidized rooming houses registered as a way to keep track of landlords and ensure buildings are up to code.
The city says it will be looking into the issue in the coming months.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke
