A tenant-focused event at city hall has given London renters a chance to come to know support services in a time when housing maintenance, pests and security care is a part of routine for people who live there.
And in conjunction with several community agencies, the event draws tenants’ advocates and the services and information-based and one-on-one support from an array of agencies to try to provide information as well (and people with low– or moderate– income needs for them to overcome problems with their lease with their landlord).
“It gives people a lot of information that they don’t have,” Sharon Villeneuve, a member of the leadership team at ACORN, said. “If you don’t know the resources that are available, then you have no ability to access them.”
Villeneuve said the event is intended to be accessible, especially for people who might not be prepared to travel to a site based on online education or lack access to assistance to have the event on their own or without access to internet access and information.
The gathering reflects more widespread problems of tenants in London: that is, issues such as pest control, building maintenance and safety are perennial issues of concern, they say.
Villeneuve noted his event’s massive turnout and as usual there have been lots of people talking in private moments about sensitive problems like financial anxiety and mental health problems.
It is a perfect opportunity to speak to people as individuals,” she added. “Sometimes you’re dealing with private issues and people need that space to tell what they are going through.” It is about the individual.
Proponents for tenants need changes in policy and landlord licensing is a major one, he said.
Villeneuve added that requiring landlords to be licensed would provide more accountability, and to make sure rental units operated properly will be one of these.
“People are supposed to be providing us a safe environment to live in,” she added.“Why do people not have to be licensed?” In this context, she said.
She said licensing fee collection could be used to supplement enforcement and help improve bylaw enforcement throughout the city and to monitor the problem assets.
Villeneuve said events like this should continue and potentially expand to larger spaces that better permit access and privacy to tenants in need of help.
