Longtime Little Italy Resident is Now Stable While Seeking a Permanent Home
After being evicted from the apartment where he had lived for 20 years, a 91-year-old Toronto man named Isidoro Ventullo was facing homelessness until his community stepped up to support him. Now, city officials are exploring ways to make aging in place safer for seniors and prevent such incidents from happening to others.
Community Steps Up
After Ventullo was kicked out of his home, city councillor Dianne Sax helped him to find shelter for the night and beyond.
“Right now he’s staying with friends, and we’ve worked really hard to ensure that when he is ready to move on, we’ve got a path for him,” said Saxe.
Local community members who didn’t know Ventrullo but were moved by his situation donated more than $15,000 to a GoFundMe campaign started on his behalf. Many who heard his story donated to cover the costs of his moving expenses and the many expenses associated with finding a new place to live.
Ventullo’s eviction process was a lengthy one, lasting about two years. Councillor Sax has an eye toward ways to use that time, saying, “One of the things we need, and I’m going to be approaching the Landlord and Tenant Board, to say, why don’t you tell us when you’re issuing an eviction order so that if these people need support, we’ve got a chance to provide it. We shouldn’t find out when the sheriff’s at the door.”
Of course, recognizing that your actions may be about to make a vulnerable person homeless requires a certain level of self-awareness. Going through with it after realizing that requires a certain level of either desperation or self-centeredness, which may be why such no-brainer notifications are currently few and far between.
A Legal Eviction
According to court documents, the run-down, ground-level one-bedroom unit Ventullo had been living in for the past two decades was set to be inhabited by the landlord’s son, who was moving from Edmonton to Toronto to look after his aging father.
It is legal in Canada to evict someone from a rental in order for the owner or a close family member to move in. However, this loophole is also often abused by unscrupulous landlords who say that they want to move in, maybe do a few renovations, and then have a “change of plans” at the last minute and relist the unit on the rental market at a much higher price.
This is very profitable for the landlord, who will now be able to charge a significantly higher monthly rent to a new tenant than to a longtime tenant whose base rate was originally set 20 years ago. For example, Ventrullo had been paying $800 a month for his apartment. A fresh lease on a similarly sized apartment would fetch two or three times that amount, more than the total monthly fixed income of many seniors.
The Legal Landscape is Changing
This “renoviction” phenomenon, so common that it has a cutesy portmanteau name, was highlighted this summer by a new City of Toronto bylaw that aims to provide tenants with greater protections against bad-faith evictions. Under the new rules, landlords are required to obtain a license from the city before completing any repairs or renovations that require the tenant to vacate, even if the tenant intends to return once the work is finished.
The licensing process will require a qualified professional to evaluate whether the unit really needs to be empty while the work is done, or whether tenants could reasonably remain in place. If it is verified that the unit needs to be vacated, the landlord must provide the following:
- Tenants choosing not to return will receive severance compensation equal to three months of rent-gap payments.
- Tenants wishing to return with either temporary, comparable housing at similar rents or agree to pay monthly rent-gap payments.
- In both cases, landlords must provide tenants with a one-time moving allowance of $1,500 for a studio or one-bedroom unit, or $2,500 for a two-bedroom or larger unit.
Requiring landlords to secure a licence for these projects will also give the city advance notice of vulnerable persons who are about to be evicted, giving them time to organize a response, line up temporary housing and other supports, and prevent people from falling into homelessness after being evicted.
Residents are encouraged to report any landlords not operating in accordance with the law to the City of Toronto. Any landlord found in breach of the bylaw could face a fine of up to $100,000.
Targeted Protections for Seniors Are Needed
Advocates would like to see even more protections targeted specifically to the needs of senior renters.
In Ontario, a spike in the senior population has long been expected, as the number of residents over the age of 85 reaches unprecedented highs. Somewhat ominously referred to as the “grey tsunami,” this demographic shift will necessitate tailored support that addresses the evolving needs of this population. With a rapidly growing number of seniors who are homeless in America, they’re right to worry.
Seniors living on a fixed income in rental accommodations are very vulnerable to the whims of the rental market. Furthermore, changes to your living environment late in life can be more challenging to recover from.
Being displaced from the area where you’ve put roots down for years, fostered community, and worked out accommodations for yourself to age safely in place, can lead to an immediate decline in health and wellbeing, and puts older men in particular at a higher risk of suicide.
We tend to think of people in this age group as owning their own homes, living with family members, or being looked after in structured facilities. However, there are many people who don’t fall into any of those categories and are instead falling through the cracks. Ventullo’s case is a prime example that renters’ rights are an important, if oft-overlooked, aspect of life for aging seniors. His story may be just the wake-up call needed for communities and governments to put in place protective policies that will help hundreds to stay housed.