Women's haven like living 'in hell'

She fled abusive husband, only to find more abuse at 

YWCA

Patricia Huculak came to Toronto to escape a violent ex-husband, only to face threats, violence and harassment at the place that was supposed to make her feel safe -- a YWCA apartment for abused women.

The city-funded building in South Riverdale is supposed to be a haven for the roughly 150 women and children who live there.

Women and children who have moved out of crowded shelters into permanent, affordable housing intended to help give them a new start in life.

Instead, tenants complain, they and their children are subjected to physical attacks, death threats, vandalism and fear.

Men are not supposed to live in the building but have, for years they say. Women who are drug addicts are supposed to be kicked out, but are allowed to stay.

Police have made frequent calls to the building, for everything from sexual abuse to assault.

Most disturbingly, the tenants say, the YWCA has done little to investigate or address these concerns -- who are seemingly dismissing it as conflict between tenants.

Huculak, a 39-year-old mother of two, fled Alberta last year after her husband followed her to Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Now that he's locked up in prison, the Alberta government relocated her to the woman-led building where she planned to start a new life.

"My husband has put a gun to my head and played Russian roulette with pulling the trigger," she said. "I thought I was coming to a safe haven. If I want to be abused, I'll go back to my husband."

The YWCA, which helps abused women get back on their feet again, are "turning a blind eye," tenants say.

And it's coming out of taxpayers' dollars. This social housing project gets about $481,000 from the province, which is allocated by the city.

"I want the YWCA to be accountable for their actions. I want the people that fund this organization to know that this is what's going on here," said Huculak. "They are funding (the YWCA) to keep these people safe and away from abuse and they're allowing this abuse in the building to continue."

Huculak, who pays $269 a month in rent, said since she moved into the building in January 2008, she has been harassed by a half-dozen female tenants, punched in the face on two occasions and her kids have received death threats, often by men who are illegally living in the complex.

"My son doesn't even come home most of the time, he stays at a friend's place because he's being harassed here," she said. "My 4-year-old daughter is scared of everyone in this building. If she sees someone, she hangs onto my leg and doesn't talk to anyone."

Tenants claim that all kinds of illegal activity goes on in the building.

They've found used needles and condoms in the stairwell. In one instance, there are allegations of a man who has been living with his wife for 11 years and there's ongoing harassment issues.

There are 77 rent-geared-to-income apartments in the storey complex, where about 150 women and their children stay. The tenants are allowed to have boyfriends and visitors who are allowed to stay a maximum of 10 days otherwise the tenant may no longer "qualify for occupancy of the unit," according to the lease agreement.

Even though the YWCA has strict policies that prohibit men living there, because it historically is a means where men are able to control women's lives in abusive situations, Huculak said there are currently about 16 men living in the building.

"They put a no-trespassing sign at the entrance and one tenant's boyfriend was still coming and going," she said. "He had a key fob. He's been seen on camera coming in by key fob and taking a key to her door."

YWCA spokesman Amanda Dale said they can't verify that men live there, but they do review their surveillance videotapes if there is a complaint.

"We have investigated anything that has been brought to our attention," Dale said. "There has been a pattern of retaliation and tattle tailing ... with a group of women who have fallen out with each other. It is not the case that we haven't done anything about it."

The YWCA provides mediation for tenants and Dale said in some cases, tenants decline. If mediation fails, support workers see if the tenants might consider moving out.

The organization also manages properties oin Etobicoke and is building a 300-unit project downtown, set to open in 2011.

Another tenant, Rose Cullen, 33, said that she also faces harassment almost on a daily basis.

Three tenants from a housing project up the street and another female tenant from her building vandalized her car, she said. She went to the parking lot to find her windows smashed, the front licence plate ripped off and wires from inside yanked out and cut.

"A tenant's brother who was living with her threatened my kids," she said. "The police were called and the YWCA issued a no-trespassing order to her brother for one year. After one year, he came and the drug activity didn't end. It's like a gang."

Dale confirms that police have been called to the building before.

A detective from 55 Division dismissed Cullen's multiple complaints about tenants in the building. In an e-mail on June 16 addressed to her, he wrote, "Move or get over it," despite another police source saying that they have "frequented the place a lot" on mischief and sexual assault calls "and it's non-stop."

Area Councillor Paula Fletcher was unavailable for comment yesterday, but is aware of the issue, said her assistant Linda Lu.

Fed up with the harassment, Huculak took the YWCA and a tenant to the Ontario Housing Tribunal in December, but later dropped her case against the organization when she was told that it was making progress in creating peace in the building, but found out nothing had been done.

"They sell it all well -- that they're here for the safety of women -- but it's happening in the building to us," she said, "and nothing's being done. It's frustrating to have to go to court to do their work."

The YWCA said it doesn't evict its tenants -- it's up to the tribunal. But so far, there's only been one case brought to the tribunal that resulted in someone voluntarily leaving the building by the end of July.

"We make the promise that women who experienced some sort of trauma in their lives will find a more supportive environment than the general housing market," Dale said. "But we also need the co-operation of those who live with us."

But Huculak said she'll believe the change when she sees it. She wants anyone coming out of a shelter and considering going to this property to be aware of what's going on inside the red brick walls.

"I have been in hell here," she said. "I feel like I'm in a penitentiary in a lockdown 24 hours a day. I don't want to see another poor woman that has come from another province, like I did, to move into a building like this and automatically be abused all over again. That's not what we came here for."


Source: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/06/21/9877181-sun.html