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May 13, 2005
Grumbling at B'nai B'rith
Seniors in low-income housing face tough issues.
CASSANDRA SAVAGE
Nestled near the West End in downtown Vancouver, B'nai B'rith Manor
looks like an average modern apartment complex. Built in 1989, the
64-suite building is located next to several major bus routes, dozens
of shops and varied entertainment. Inside the building, common areas
are visibly clean, with only regular signs of wear and tear that
happens over time. Tenants have access to a coin-operated laundry,
a message board for community notices and a communal lounge complete
with a library. On the surface, all is reasonably well at B'nai
B'rith Manor.
What makes the building unique is its status as a low-income housing
project. Administered by B'nai B'rith Lions Gate Building Society
and funded by B.C. Housing, the building provides affordable accommodation
for seniors and people living with disabilities. Tenants pay no
more than 30 per cent of their household's gross monthly income,
which is the accepted definition of affordable housing across Canada.
Many of the tenants are happy at B'nai B'rith Manor, where they
can live in the heart of downtown at a price they can afford.
Seventy-eight-year-old Lina Wejgsman worked as a reporter in Poland
before moving to Canada in the 1980s. "I was poor," she
told the Bulletin, remembering the situation that brought
her to B'nai B'rith Manor in 1989. "I didn't have my next rent
money and I was one step away from [homelessness]. I was, from the
beginning, very, very happy here. I was just amazed how good the
place was."
Doris Goodman can't fathom a better housing option. She turns 70
next month and believes she'd be living on the streets if it weren't
for B'nai B'rith Manor. When she applied for a suite in 2000, her
financial situation was devastating. "I was not quite a senior,"
she said. "I was 63 and I was living on welfare. I'm grateful
to be here."
But others feel trapped without options.
Despite a high number of satisfied tenants, there is an underlying
tension at B'nai B'rith Manor. A number of tenants have responded
to the tension with a plea to local media: they want to explore
the roots of conflict in the building but feel building administrators
aren't willing to listen.
Grigori Khaskin is a research associate at Simon Fraser University.
His 81-year-old mother, Polina Kivritskaia, has lived in the building
for 15 years; she's established a community of friends and has no
desire to leave. At the same time, however, she spent days crying
over the use of what Khaskin describes as "fear and intimidation"
to manage tenants. When B'nai B'rith fired their building manager
in January 2005, for example, Kivritskaia confronted the administration
to find out why. But when she pressed for answers, she claimed she
was advised to move out if she wasn't happy with the way the building
is run. "For me," said Khaskin, "it's a moral problem.
When I see my mom crying, I don't think she deserves it."
Earlier this year, 71-year-old Herzel Cohen also felt threatened
with the loss of his home for questioning a new $20 monthly fee,
which was added to the tenants' monthly bill in an effort to keep
up with inflated utility rates. Administrators had explained the
fee to each tenant, but Cohen wanted further explanation for the
increase. "I refused [to pay] for a few months but she pressed
me and pressed me," said Cohen, referring to building administrator
Zmirah Rosenthal. "She scared everybody, telling the tenants
if we don't pay, we'll kick you out."
"I really enjoy my job and I really enjoy working with the
tenants," Rosenthal told the Bulletin in an interview.
She admitted, however, that there are some very difficult tenants
and administrators sometimes feel harassed. Under such conditions,
said Rosenthal, administrators have told tenants to find alternate
housing if they're not happy.
For most tenants at B'nai B'rith Manor, finding another place to
live isn't an option. There simply isn't enough subsidized housing
to go around in the Lower Mainland and waiting lists are long. If
tenants are unhappy, they are often powerless to move on and any
threat to their housing security is deeply frightening.
Leslie Stern is an advocate for affordable housing and is currently
project co-ordinator for the Lower Mainland Network for Affordable
Housing. According to Stern, it is common for building administration,
especially members of the board, to tell tenants to move when they
express discontent.
"Some of the words that operators may toss around easily are
things like 'eviction' or 'if you don't like it, leave.' They don't
realize how devastating that is to the people who hear it,"
explained Stern. "When someone is threatened with losing their
housing, it almost feels like losing their life. They are very frightened,
they feel very threatened and they act in a much different way than
they would if they had some choices."
The solution to problems at B'nai B'rith Manor and similar housing
projects, suggested Stern, is increased access to affordable housing
in general and greater access to training for administrators. "I
think the board of directors [at B'nai B'rith] should have some
sensitivity training on what the issues are and what it's like out
there," said Stern.
B'nai B'rith's Rosenthal attends a training session for nonprofit
housing administrators each year. She said she loves her job, has
an extensive history of working with seniors and has tried to foster
a sense of community at B'nai B'rith Manor by organizing monthly
tenant meetings and social events. "I am there for every single
tenant in that building and every tenant knows that," she said.
B'nai B'rith Manor is just one example of a low-income housing project
and it can be seen as a kind of case study on affordable housing
in general. But the issue is much bigger than B'nai B'rith Manor.
According to the Co-operative Housing Federation of B.C., more than
250,000 households in the province lack affordable housing and the
number of homeless people living in the Lower Mainland has doubled
since 1991.
The lack of affordable housing is a major cause of tensions that
arise in buildings like B'nai B'rith – where most tenants do
seem to be happy. And people in social housing are sometimes told
they're lucky to be there; that they should be grateful for what
they have.
"From my point of view, they shouldn't be grateful," said
Stern. "We should have a system that provides ample opportunity
to access housing they can afford."
Cassandra Savage is a writer/editor living in Vancouver.
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