Housing a rare commodity for people forced from Moose Jaw apartment building with code violations - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Housing a rare commodity for people forced from Moose Jaw apartment building with code violations

Social Services and the John Howard Society are working to house people who were impacted by the evacuation of an apartment in Moose Jaw, but with few options it's not an easy task.

Apartment block was a home to more than the 24 people ordered to leave, says John Howard Society

A brick building with plywood covering the windows and doors
The doors and windows of this Moose Jaw apartment building were boarded up after it was evacuated because of multiple code violations this week. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

Two dozen residents evacuated from a decrepit Moose Jaw, Sask., apartment buildingare struggling to find housing, according to the groups helping them search.

"There's no vacancy anywhere right now and we're really struggling with that," said Jody Oakes,the manager of judicial programs and branch services at the John Howard Society.

Her organization isworking alongside the provincial Ministry of Social Services to find housing for the 24 residents told to leave the apartment building this week and others who used the premises.

Residents were evacuated from the building at the corner of Stadacona Street and First Avenue N.W. in the city,located about 70 kilometres west of Regina, under the province's Fire Safety Act on Tuesday.

Moose Jaw city officials said they found multiple safety violations during an inspectionthe day before.

Oakes said the John Howard Society was notified of the evacuation shortly before residents were sent out.

While 16 of the 18 units were officially occupied by a total of 24 people, according to the fire department, Oakes said the society provided help forabout 50 people who stayed there before it was evacuated.

She said people who were unhoused or did not have secure housing would stay there at night or use the bathrooms.

Despite it being unsafe, "for these people this was home," she said.

Oakes said Social Services had put some residents into hotels but was not sure which hotels or how long they would be staying there.

A wide outdoor shot of the boarded up apartment building
Social Services and the John Howard Society said they are helping residents evacuated from the Moose Jaw apartment building find shelter. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

In an email, Social Services spokesperson Leya Moore said theprovincial ministry isworking with community partners to help those who were impacted by the evacuation. The departmenthelped about 30 people onsite during the day Tuesday with income support and housing, and aided another five that evening, Moore's email said.

During a joint inspection conducted bythe city, fire department and police service,officialsfound multiple fire code violations and a lack of life-saving measures, according to the city.

While there are no problems with the 113-year-old structure itself, Moose Jaw fire Chief Rod Montgomery saidthere were several issues with its operation. Missing or inoperable smoke alarms were among the most concerning for the fire chief.

There were also issues with windows that could not be opened, exposed flooring on fire escapes, suites without doors or locks, and combustible materials blocking emergency exits.

With files from Laura Sciarpelletti and Alexander Quon