Money promised for P.E.I. seniors housing after Fiona exposed issues

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The chief of P.E.I.’s Opposition social gathering stated the emergency response to seniors in provincially-owned housing after post-tropical storm Fiona was “completely insufficient.”

“The oversight of those houses must be improved dramatically,” stated Peter Bevan-Baker, when he spoke to SaltWire Community on Oct. 5. “I feel we have to fund them higher so the residing circumstances of the oldsters who reside there are improved.”

Bevan-Baker toured Huntingdon Courtroom in Charlottetown on Oct. 3, a fancy that went 10 days in all with no electrical energy.

“That they had not been checked, they’d a generator that was working some emergency lights in some frequent areas …, however no models had energy in any respect and so, in fact, no sizzling water, no lights, no phone recharging functionality,” he stated.

He stated meals had been delivered, however not with any predictability. One resident instructed Bevan-Baker they’d been promised meals one night, however none arrived.

“They had been fairly dejected and anxious about being chilly,” stated Bevan-Baker. “Simply that stage of abandonment … is completely unacceptable, for any inhabitants, however significantly for an aged, weak, frail inhabitants.”

Bevan-Baker stated he toured a lot of provincially owned seniors’ housing models final 12 months and famous “some fairly surprising deficiencies within the high quality of the housing” that was “fairly common all through government-owned housing complexes.”

“Leaking roofs, mould on partitions, safety methods that weren’t safe, points with individuals coming into the buildings and sleeping on the couches within the frequent areas who weren’t residents there – there have been some very severe points outdoors of the dearth of response after Fiona, which we have now talked about many occasions in the home,” he stated.

“They had been fairly dejected and anxious about being chilly. Simply that stage of abandonment … is completely unacceptable, for any inhabitants, however significantly for an aged, weak, frail inhabitants.” – Peter Bevan-Baker

The Division of Social Improvement and Housing oversees the 104 buildings with 1,113 models of reasonably priced seniors housing in 32 communities throughout P.E.I. Minister Matthew MacKay stated they’re working by the problems.

“We knew the storm was coming, to what extent, we didn’t know, clearly. We didn’t have a playbook to see the worst storm ever in Canadian historical past hit us the best way it did, but it surely did,” he stated in an interview with SaltWire on Oct. 5.

He stated his employees had been “all arms on deck” and labored as much as 100 hours per week to verify on all of the models and assist out the place they may. MacKay has a listing of notes from these checks, they usually embody feedback on the spirits of the residents if emergency lights had been working and any storm harm to the inside.

MacKay stated there are considerations with the buildings which have come to gentle after the storm.

“A few of the buildings are so previous that we couldn’t get mills attached into them, (the fireplace marshal) simply wouldn’t enable it,” he stated. “In order that’s one factor that we have to deal with instantly.”

He additionally stated lots of the buildings want a number of infrastructure upgrades.

“It’s most likely going to be the largest price range capital ask for these seniors’ models ever within the historical past of the province. We all know they want work,” he stated. “These are all points that we knew existed however on the similar time, after the storm, it’s created the need to guarantee that we do no matter we will to enhance these models.”

MacKay stated there are a number of points, and the buildings have to be introduced as much as be protected for residents.

“We all know the storms are going to worsen,” he stated. It’s a factor that’s taking place with local weather change, and we gotta make certain our buildings are prepared and have one other supply of electrical energy and warmth when wanted.”

Talking up

SaltWire Community has heard from a minimum of one resident of a provincially owned advanced who misplaced all their possessions that had been in storage within the constructing, in addition to their meals within the fridge.

“We had no energy, water, elevator for 5 days,” they wrote in a message to the reporter.

“We had been utilizing flashlights to assist much less cell individuals up and down the darkish stairwells. (There was) water as much as our ankles within the basement the place our storage models had been. Nobody got here close to us to assist. I do not assume it was a lot totally different in any of the seniors’ low-income buildings.”

This particular person wasn’t keen to talk on the file for concern of dropping their house.

“Completely not,” stated MacKay, when SaltWire put these considerations to him. “You possibly can’t repair something in the event you don’t know the place the issues are at. … I hope they do communicate out. We wish to make these buildings higher, we wish to make them protected and we have to know – and the employees have to know – the place the problems are. … I hope individuals really feel snug to talk out.”

MacKay stated he’s all the time accessible to listen to considerations. Anybody who needs to report a difficulty – both with or with out their title – can contact housing companies at 902-368-5770 to depart a message. There’s additionally a toll-free line at 1-877-368-5770.

Alison Jenkins is a well being reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. She could be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @ReporterAlison.