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NEWS INFLATION ADDING TO LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROBLEM Continued from page 1 gion. Nazeem Lahashmi is the director of services for Community Living Oak- ville, anon-profit organiza- tion that provides a range of support services fig indi: viduals with devé tal disabilities. He said people with dis- abilities face many barri- ers when it comes to find- ing housing. Lahashmi noted rising inflation has driven up rents, resulting in a lack of affordable housing. Rent hikes have a con- siderable impact on those relying on the Ontario Dis- ability Support Program (ODSP). "With ODSP, you're get- ting about $1,200 per "said Lahashmi- posed to live on Edith Hoyle, 49, an Oak- her een _ lives disability, we she has been looking for an affordable place to live in either Oakville or Burlington for about a year. While she currently re- sides in an apartment with- in the region, she says per- il sonal circumstances wi “It's hard because every place you go, the rent is high. It's frustrating.” require her to move in the near future. Hoyle says she is cur- rently looking for work, but has been getting by with ODSP and $348 per month from the Canada- Ontario Housing Benefit. She's looking for an apartment with rent com- parable to the $1,700 per month her current apart- ment costs. But so far, her search has come up empty. "It's hard because every place you go, the is high," said foyle. miehue trati She said she wants the ince to monthly ODSP rates So she can actually afford some of the available rental ‘units as well as basic necessities such as food. Hoyle said the rent rate recently went up, and she worries about her future if ousing prices continue to increase. "It's very upsetting that people in Toronto are get- ting kicked out of their apartments," she said. "I ~ Edith Hoyle tne about the same “Lahashmi also called for an increase to ODSP, ar- guing its current level makes little sense if the goal is to get People with developmental disab: whocan live oa acmadentie out of group homes. Oakville's Progressive Conservative MPP Stephen Crawford noted that in 2022, the Ford government made the largest increase to ODSP rates in decades, with program payments rising by 5 per cent. “ODSP income support rates will be tied to infla- tion going forward, help- ing recipients to keep pace with the rising costs of life's essentials," said Crawford. Oakville resident Jan MacDonald, 59 — who col- lects ODSP because of a congenital heart defect — is also trying to move from her current subsidized apartment to a better envi- ronment, and is running into similar barriers. McDonald says health concerns limit her to work- three days Despite this i income and ODSP, she says she has been looking for an apart- ment in her price range in Halton for Roe "It's times. I aka about the rents at some of these new places and they're over $3,000 a month, for crying out loud," said McDonald. "I want to talk to a poli- ince is taking steps to help those with disabilities by Come and explore! mohawkcollege.ca/ OpenHouse investing nearly $4.4 bil- lion to grow community of affordable housing and limited ODSP funds are not the only issues keeping people with disabilities from finding hom said people with physical disabilities some- times require homes to be retrofitted to meet their ac- cessibility needs. Finding the funds to per- form these retrofits as well alandlord willing to give permission for these can be challenging, Lahashmi oe argued the province needs to provide more 4 campuses | Starting March 28 aaa @) t—leel nd funding to community or- ganizations so they can help their clients with these crucial retrofits. rawfort | senb0 eIMIeO | a reguies in mult unit 5 | housing to be constructed £ to meet high accessibility § standards for people with 2 disabilities. providers $ must comply with the On- $ s tario Human Rights Code, 8 which prohibits discrimi- ° nation on the basis of disa- bility in goods, services or facilities to the point of un- due hardship,” he said. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With Ontario's housing crisis continuing, we spoke to individuals with disabilities, as well as an organization that sup- ports them, to learn about the barriers they face when it comes to finding housing. ‘SCAN THIS CODE for more local news N ~ - 7 COLLEGE i 3 3