Creatively Independent
  • Creatively Independent

We The Fools The Tenants In TCHC

15/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Anyone else get your COVID 19 package from Toronto Community Housing today?  Anyone else thinking they could have and should have done better?
Yeah. Me too.
For starters this notice was dated April 1, 2020.  April Fool's. 
Jokes on us.
In every package TCHC has tossed in a Household Income and Assets Review form (previously known as Annual Review Form). Nowhere on this form does it say Fill Out ONLY If You Have COVID Related Financial Issues.
So I can imagine a high percentage of tenants filling out these firms when they don't need to. How many staff hours will be wasted going through the submissions to find the ones from tenants that are experiencing COVID related financial difficulties?

Now let's get into the nitty gritty.
On the very first page of the four page fold out there was a mention of "Staff reaching out by phone to seniors and tenants identified as having vulnerablities to ask what supports they may need."  Why didn't TCHC just include a list of supports so that tenants don't have to guess at what "services" are available? 
Then there's the advice to protect yourself from infection.
Wash your hands.
Check.
SOCIAL Distancing.
Check (Stop trying to introduce other phrases like Physical Distancing it's only going to confuse some people. Stick with the accepted terminology.  That's more than likely why there are still some rip roaring parties in certain TCHC units.  They thought that Physical Distancing was enough.  But Social Distancing implies an additional layer of caution that TCHC tenants with customers for their illicit activities don't want to abide by.) 
To top that off there is no mention of preventative non-medical face masks. This is what happens when you take your jolly ole time getting information out to tenants.
There is anther thing that is SOOOO OBVIOUSLY missing. As I have indicated in emails to
TCHC CEO Kevin Marshman & TCHC COO Sheila Penny the tenants could most definitely have used a reassuring message from the Board of Directors with at least one quote from one of the tenant directors.
Is it really that hard to understand that tenants in social housing already feel a sense of social isolation and therefore we could use a "we care about you" response in this era of
Stay Home, Stay Safe? (And one not one dated TWO WEEKS AGO!)
Items you could have included in this package are a) a face mask or two, or b) a fridge magnet with the TCHC logo on it and the hashtags #StayHome #StaySafe... The least you can do is pretend that you care.  
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Advocacy
    Art
    Cinema
    Music
    Poetry
    Stage

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Creatively Independent