PIERREFONDS — Canada’s largest housing co-op has lost its long-standing federal rent subsidy.
It’s left residents in Pierrefonds’ Cloverdale housing complex worried they won’t be able to pay the rent.
Fabiola Barthelemy has been living in the co-op apartment her whole life, but she fears this year might be her last.
“I’ve lost neighbours, I’ve lost some really good neighbours,” Barthelemy told Global News.
Barthelemy said rent isn’t the only problem.
Poor living conditions, like taps that run non-stop and others that don’t run at all, are forcing her to make a decision to leave her childhood home.
“In my building, we have roaches all the way down to the basement,” said Barthelemy.
“So, even if I choose to move, I’ll still be stuck with the roach problem when I’ll move.”
The subsidy covered about half of the rent for families benefiting from it.
Hélène Ciabu Kalonga, the Director of the Cloverdale co-op, said people received about $350 a month, but it all stopped this October.
Ciabu Kalonga said they’ve been lobbying at the provincial level to get another subsidy, but are still waiting to hear back.
What really perplexes some residents is that the administration is apparently remodelling new buildings they purchased a couple of years ago without caring for existing ones.
“This is what the apartments you showed me looked like when they were renovated in 2008,” said Ciabu Kalonga, pointing at pictures she had of the renovations.
“It’s tenants who don’t care for them properly.”
But residents like Barthelemy argued the problem is that the administration has too much power.
Before she gives up on her neighbourhood, she’s ready to put up one last fight.
“We have two nights of meetings,” Berthelemy told Global News.
“Our small community is working on the bylaws to bring about all of the changes that we want.”
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