Housing Not Admitting To Their Mistakes

I found an article in the Toronto Star about Al Gosling that was very disturbing (the article and link are pasted below). How unkind can one get?

However, I can believe it because I've got my own beefs with housing. In August, shortly after I stopped working, I got a pay stub showing a substantially lower income, which I immediately faxed to housing. The date was August 11th. In the fax, I told them that I was off work on extended sick leave and I had applied for E.I. I then told them I would send the updated income amount as soon as I knew if I would be qualified, and for how much.

On Aug 26th, an amount was deposited in my account from E.I. so I called housing and asked if they would let me know how to formally declare it, because a statement was not received in the mail.

I also asked that, when they call, they tell me what the adjusted amount of my rent would be based on the fax that was sent earlier in the month and I named the date.

A reply to the phone message was never received. I left both phone numbers so they could be sure to reach me when they called back.

I phoned 3 more times after leaving that message, did not reach a person, and chose not to leave another message because, in the past, I have been told off for leaving too many. Besides, I was not doing well emotionally, so my patience was at an all-time low.

Finally, on September 2nd, I looked at my bank account and saw that housing had taken out the full amount. I couldn't believe it because they had been given proper notification of my income change.

I phoned them to ask why they took the full amount and they said they never got the fax. I asked why, if I mentioned a fax in my message on August 27th, that they didn't call me back to at least tell me it was never received. They said they didn't remember me leaving a message.

I asked if they keep a record of their phone messages and they said yes.

She then looked it up in her log book and saw that I had called, and had asked her to call me back, but the notes she had kept were rather spotty. She had noted that I had given the verbal amount of E.I. over the phone, but there was nothing written down that I wanted her to give me a call back to tell me how best to report it. Her notes also mentioned something about me mentioning an earlier fax, but because she didn't receive it, she wasn't sure what it was about. She then said she had no choice but to take the full amount of my rent because she didn't have the hard copies to prove there had been a change in my income.

I then asked why, if I mention a fax that she didn't receive, why she wouldn't let me know so I could resend it. She didn't really have a reply

I then asked if the extra that was overdrawn in error due to the communication breakdown, could be reimbursed in a cheque, and they said no. It was to be credited back over the next two months.

A few days later, a letter was received in the mail to reaffirm their decision and, with it, came an option to appeal.

I appealed. In the appeal I said:
"This shows nothing to indicate that the information to reflect the change had been sent on August 11th and a follow-up phone call with further details was made on August 26th.

An apology and a promise of a correction in future would be appreciated.

For the month of September my living expenses will be covered by overdraft and a line of credit. Not good for a credit rating.

This oversight MUST be investigated and corrected. I have backup. Many in housing don't. "
I also sent several requests by email to get the money back in the same month that they took it. No go. I appealed because I wanted them to formally accept some kind of responsibility and to apologize formally. I am willing to accept human error, but I was not appreciative of their letters making it look like they were blameless.

On Friday, I got a reply to the request for an appeal. Here is what it said.
Dear [my full name]:

In response to your letter dated September 10, 2009, we have reviewed the file and have found the following.

On August 27, 2009 you gave us verbal information of your income change. We cannot change your rental charge based on verbal communication, as written verification is required. We did receive the written documentation on September 2, 2009, but the pre-authorized payment had already been processed. Your pre-authorized payment account was then adjusted for the next pre-authorized payment processing on November 1, 2009 to bring your account to a zero balance.

If you would like to discuss this matter, please contact me at the office.

[name removed]
Property Manager
[phone number removed]
I couldn't believe it. No apology. Nothing.

At the moment I am in another mess with not being able to get ODSP back either, so I have had no choice but to get financial help from my family. They haven't seen this particular letter, but they've seen other letters that are very similar and, would you believe, they look at them and blame me for not doing my part? It is very hard, if not impossible, to convince them otherwise.

Once in awhile others will believe that perhaps I am right, but most of the time, the ones who are believed are the ones who are working. I'm tired of having to suck it up and look like I have been failing in my obligations to the rich folks.

It hurts even more when my family bails me out, expects me to be even more accountable with them than I am with the government, then tells me to forget it. That I am to be thankful... as I sweep it under the rug.

Believe me, I am thankful... but does no one see the danger of this? If we let this stuff go on, stories like the one below will keep on appearing in the paper. This is simply wrong.

I hope this housing story blows the abuse wide open in the media. It has got to stop.

Newspaper Article:

Al Gosling's tragic end (Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/710398--al-gosling-s-tragic-end)
October 15, 2009

The final months of Al Gosling's life were grim – full of hardships made all the more difficult because they were so unnecessary. The 82-year-old was evicted from his subsidized bachelor apartment in June after failing to keep up with paperwork verifying his low-income status. He never made it back.

Officials at the Toronto Community Housing Corp. eventually sorted out Gosling's status, found a new place for him, and issued a statement saying: "We hope he is able to come home soon."

They were too late. On finding himself locked out, Gosling had lived for a week in a stairwell of the building that held his old apartment. He was then taken to a homeless shelter, became gravely ill, and ended up at Toronto General Hospital, where he died of an infection over the Thanksgiving weekend.

This whole, sad chain of events might have been avoided had someone simply helped Gosling with his paperwork or had paused to consider what might happen to an increasingly frail and disoriented senior after being pushed on to the street.

To its credit, the housing corporation is conducting an independent review of its handling of this matter. That review is to also examine "broader factors that can put vulnerable tenants in jeopardy." That's important, because the systemic failure in this case clearly runs deeper than just the procedural mechanics involved in an eviction.

With so many social agencies and services available in this city, why wasn't Gosling put in touch with someone who could help him before he ended up on the street?

We can only hope that the housing corporation's review will provide meaningful answers to this question and help us to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

Then Al Gosling will not have died in vain.

Please read my other Blogs:
Health: http://wheelchairdemon-health.blogspot.com
Transit: http://wheelchairdemon-transit.blogspot.com

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