200 Wellesley Apartment Fire Victims Struggle To Resettle TCHC

Tenants of 200 Wellesley St. E. say a recent spending scandal is distracting Toronto's public housing agency from helping them resettle after a devastating fire. A seven-alarm fire gutted several floors of the highrise back in September. The building is operated by Toronto's Community Housing Corporation. Many of the building's 1200 residents struggle with mental health issues and other problems. Lilly Vlajkobic, a resident of the building, returned to her unit recently after spending four months in a hotel after the fire struck. She admits she's a hoarder and much of her apartment's floor space is covered in waist-high piles of clutter. "It's putting me in a heavy depression," Vlajkobic told CBC News. "I don't even feel like living like this." Vlajkobic, who is on disability, said she needs help getting her apartment cleaned and organized. Her unit still lacks basic furniture, such as a kitchen table and bookshelves. But Vlajkobic said she's not getting enough help from Toronto Community Housing Corporation. "[TCHC staff] use [money] on their manicure, their pedicure," said Vlajkobic. TCHC has been rocked in recent weeks by a well-publicized spending scandal. A city auditor's report uncovered thousands in inappropriate employee spending and millions more spent on contracts without proper tendering. The scandal prompted Mayor Rob Ford to initiate a house-cleaning of the 13-member TCHC board. Some board members quit, the rest were forced out by a council motion passed last ...

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YouTube | April 22, 2011

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