“Sudbury tenants face higher rents in the new year” CBC Sudbury
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Low-income tenants at risk of eviction
Allison Woods, the interim executive director of the Sudbury Community Legal Clinic, said even a small increase to housing costs can put low-income individuals at risk of eviction.
The clinic provides free legal advice and support to low-income residents on matters ranging from housing law to disability claims.
Woods said while she empathizes with smaller landlords, whose costs have also increased, she said tenants are in a more vulnerable position.
“I definitely think we are facing a housing crisis,” she said. “Housing costs are far outpacing income and different types of income supports as well.”
Woods said the shelter allowance for a person on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is $497 per month, while the average rent in Sudbury in 2020 was $1,053 per month, and just under $1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
“Whether it’s working at a minimum wage job, or people on ODSP, rental costs are just far exceeding what people can afford,” she said.
Woods said the rent freeze in 2020 helped a lot of her clients. Beyond a freeze on rents, she said Sudbury needs more affordable housing, and Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board could be more flexible with tenants.
That flexibility would include more options for rent payment plans and a moratorium on evictions, she said.
