10 minute read
HOUSING
HOUSING Seniors advocates allege housing discrimination
by Charlie Smith
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AVancouver seniors advocate has alleged that some landlords are discriminating against older tenants seeking apartments. Gail Harmer, 80, made this declaration in an hourlong January 20 webinar on housing hosted by the South Vancouver Seniors Network and attended by Vancouver-Langara B.C. Liberal MLA Michael Lee.
“Seniors have very lengthy tenancies because it is our last home,” Harmer said. “We are discriminated against when it comes to applications for housing in a market that is free market–driven and where landlords actually benefit from certain turnover.”
It was one of many statements at the forum highlighting discriminatory treatment that seniors face on the housing front. Harmer went so far as to declare that ageism is “endemic”. She added that landlords are “certainly uncomfortable with any applicant who’s going to be there for 20.5 years”, which is the average length of tenancy for seniors in the West End.
“Politicians like Michael know how important we are because we vote,” Harmer noted. “We have incredible power if we start to use it.”
Lee noted that COVID-19 has shone a light on the treatment of elderly people, whether it’s in care homes or living at home in isolation. “We are all in this together, as is said often,” Lee said, “and I’m grateful for each of you to lend your voice.”
One of the more horrific tales at the forum came from Grace Hann, trainer and manager of volunteers at the Jewish Seniors Alliance. She shared a heartbreaking story of an 85-year-old woman living with cancer in a B.C. Housing unit. According to Hann, this senior has difficulty walking and spends most of her time at home.
“The biggest thing with her—and it’s quite heartbreaking to hear—is when she’s eating dinner,” Hann said. “There are mice crawling up her leg.
“I want us to stop for a moment and visualize if that would be us or if it would be our mom or dad or if it would be our grandparents,” she added. “I took that very seriously on behalf of Jewish Seniors Alliance.”
Hann said that the situation was only addressed after the Jewish Seniors Alliance intervened on behalf of the tenant.
“We did get the problem eradicated, but my question is why did it take all of us to be involved?” Hann said. “Why are they not listening to seniors?”
Andrea Krombein, seniors outreach coordinator for Marpole Oakridge Family Place, presented pictures of a mice-ridden unit in Marpole. She revealed that this went on for more than three years, with management of the situation primarily left to the senior tenant.
Krombein pointed out that advocacy organizations often receive calls from seniors struggling with other issues in their building. That includes being treated in ageist ways by landlords or building managers and not getting repairs done or services in a timely manner.
“Listening carefully to these situations, we find a mix of problems,” Krombein said. “Seniors are often lonely and without family or connections and on low income. So they don’t want to rock the boat with landlords. They don’t want to be evicted or victimized. These are real fears.”
According to Krombein, sometimes these fears are rooted in mental-health issues or insecurity, but on other occasions, she noted, they are based on things that can really happen.
As an example, Krombein related that one senior using a mobility scooter had to pay $10 to a building worker every time she wanted to leave. The building worker took advantage of her because the automatic door had remained broken “for ages” and she had no choice.
Krombein also emphasized that senior tenants often don’t want to challenge bad behaviour by other tenants—such as drug use, smoking, loud music, or criminal behaviour—for fear of reprisals. And when they do phone the police for problems in the building, they have reported that sometimes they feel that officers are not sympathetic or sensitive to seniors’ issues.
“A crisis point is reached in the neighbourhoods when a landlord or building managers become abusive verbally or neglectful and are unable to control unruly tenants—and seniors feel afraid for their physical and emotional safety,” Krombein said.
Seniors in these situations will call different offices—such as the Jewish Seniors Alliance or the MLA’s office or police—which means there is no one database record of what has taken place at a specific building.
“A senior tenant told me, ‘B.C. Housing needs to make a plan so there’s a single number to call,’” Krombein said.
In the meantime, Marpole Oakridge Family Place is looking at providing training for tenants and landlords about their respective responsibilities and educating them about elder abuse and neglect.
“South Vancouver Seniors Network partners want to make sure that seniors feel safe in their housing situations,” Krombein stated.
The South Vancouver Seniors Network was launched by MLA Lee and Krombein. The weekly webinars, hosted by Krombein and Hann, aim to connect seniors with government, community leaders, and other decision makers in real time. g
B.C. Liberal MLA Michael Lee helped launch the South Vancouver Seniors Network.
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REAL ESTATE Million-dollar Surrey townhouse drew 36 offers
by Carlito Pablo
Realtor Alex Tom has never seen anything like it.
The eXp Realty and Velmont Real Estate Team agent said that some of his previous listings had received up to 10 offers or so.
But the recent one Tom had in Surrey was something else—he said the townhouse got 36 offers.
Not surprisingly, the three-storey residence with four bedrooms and three baths sold quickly and over the listed price. It went for $1,108,000.
The property is a corner unit at 306–16433 Watson Drive in the Surrey neighbourhood of Fleetwood. Tom said the townhouse had more than 120 showings after it came on the market on January 10, 2022.
“There’s just too little supply of homes for sale for the number of people looking to buy,” Tom told the Straight in a phone interview.
The property was listed for $798,000, which was below the assessed value. The townhouse has a 2022 assessment of $808,000.
After seven days on the market, the home sold on January 17 for $1,108,000.
The sold price was 37 percent and 38.8 percent over the assessed and listed prices, respectively.
Tom noted that the property has a lot of things going for it. One of these is that it is a relatively new home, part of the Fleetwood Rise development of Anthem Properties. According to B.C. Assessment, it was built in 2017.
Tom also said that people who went to view the property were talking about the future SkyTrain that is planned nearby, a reference to the 16-kilometre Surrey-Langley rapid-transit project.
The SkyTrain will run on an elevated guideway along Fraser Highway, which is near the townhouse complex where Unit 306 sold. The system will connect the Expo Line’s King George Station to Langley Centre.
Tom noted that residents of the townhouse development will be able to walk to one of the eight planned stations.
As well, the COVID-19 pandemic has made work from home possible for many employees. “Now that we can work from home, people have more ability to choose where they want to buy property,” Tom said.
Tom noted that it used to be that many wanted to purchase a home near where they work.
The Straight learned about the Watson Drive sale after it reported on January 21 about a deal for a piece of Vancouver real estate.
That was 950 Ringwood Avenue, which came on the market with a listed price of $1,249,800. The detached home received 26 offers and sold for $580,000 over the asking price of $1,830,000.
A reader who goes by the Twitter account of @PartPhil, commented on the social-media site that paying $580,000 over asking is “absolutely bananas”.
The remark attracted the attention of another reader, who goes by @alex60494. “How about $310k over on a fleetwood townhouse” they wrote, adding an emoji of a face with tears of joy.
One of the 26 offers for the Ringwood Avenue home in Vancouver was madhusband and wife who are clients of Vancouver realtor David Hutchinson.
Hutchinson’s clients didn’t get the property, even though they placed a bid of almost $300,000 over the asking price.
After speaking with Tom about the 36 Surrey bids, the Straight circled back to Hutchinson.
“When 2022 started, nobody knew what was going to happen,” Hutchinson said by phone. “But suddenly,” the Sutton Group–West Coast Realty agent noted, “this particular market detached; the half-duplexes and townhouses just exploded.”
With the 36 offers on the Surrey townhouse and 26 bids on the Vancouver real estate that his clients didn’t get, Hutchinson said that this means one thing. “There are 60 hungry buyers out there among countless others that are actively swirling the waters of real estate and ready to throw more money at it,” he said.
“The question is, is what you’re paying today going to be what it’s going to be worth when this world returns to normal?” Hutchinson asked.
The Vancouver realtor added, “It’s all a spending party right now, but what I’m afraid of is the hangover.” g
This Surrey corner townhouse has four bedrooms and three bathrooms on three floors and attracted 36 offers after more than 120 showings.
Are You Looking For A Meaningful Volunteer Opportunity?
Our Peer Support Services is accepting applications for our Friendly Visiting Program at Jewish Seniors Alliance (JSA).
This volunteer training will prepare you with the skills to interact with seniors in our community and will enhance employment opportunities and personal growth. The program is available to people 18 years and older. Training will consist of four consecutive sessions, evenings 4pm - 8pm for a total of 16 hours. You will become more skilled with age-related challenges, grief and loss, isolation, loneliness and many other issues facing older adults including helping seniors cope with their increased anxiety and isolation caused by of COVID-19 JSA is an inclusive organization and reaches out to all seniors from all ethnic, religious or cultural backgrounds.
This training is being offered at no cost.
At the end of the training you will get a certifi cate. The sessions are starting on Tuesdays in February from 4pm - 8pm on ZOOM.
For more information please call Charles Leibovitch at 778-840-4949 or email: charles@jsalliance.org
People who identify as part of the LBGTQ community are invited to apply.
– realtor David Hutchinson
