Windsor man ends day-long hunger strike and is now protesting city's affordable housing service another way

Moise Tudor went on a hunger strike for 27 hours to protest the City of Windsor's affordable housing services, but he won't give up.

Tudor, 62,lives on $53 a month after his accommodations eatup most of his monthly income,through the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

Even though Tudor is considered a priority forsubsidized housing, he said he's been waiting formonths and feels theWindsor Essex Community Housing Corporationhasn't been reliable in helping him get shelter.

As of Wednesday morning, Tudor said he wasno longer on a hunger strike.He told CBC News he didn't eat from Monday at 7 p.m. to Tuesday at 10 p.m.

But his protest isn't over.

"I'm going to stay here to showI'm not happy," Tudor told CBC Newswhile standingoutside the Central Housing Registry on Dougall Avenue.

"It's not fair things to do and I stay here as long as my body stays on."

He said he wants to know how long it will take for him to get housing, and claims he's aware of vacant subsidized apartments in the city.

He said he'll stay in front of the Central Housing Registryuntil he gets more answers, but the housing corporation has told him they can't do anything more to help.

According to the city, in June, 6,300 householdsin Windsor-Essex had applied for an affordable place to live.

There are 477 high-priority housing applicantsand419 are people experiencing homelessness.

In an email, Kari Schofield, a spokesperson for the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation, said the organization has spoken with Tudor to better understand his situation.

As for the wait time facing residents like Tudor, Schofield said a timeline to offer someone housing depends on a number of factors, including location preference, family size and housing availability.

"Many more people apply for subsidized housing than the number of houses or apartments available," Schofield said.

She added that vacant units are expected as people may move in or out and the corporation takes time to restore units.

• WATCH |Tudor talks about leaving his job and the lack of answers from the housing corp

Moise Tudor talks about the challenges he's faced in the last year

2 years ago

Duration 0:52

Tudor was diagnosed with cancer last year and recently had surgery. Though his cancer treatments have stopped, he's still coping with medical issues.

'I think he's a priority'

Last year, Tudor said a cancer diagnosis forced him to stop working as a long-haul truck driver. During his treatments, he started receiving money from the ODSPand the CPP.

Combined, he said these programs provide him with $1,758a month. ButTudorsaid he couldn't keep up with his expenses and eventually lost his apartment.

In April, Tudor said hefiled an application with thecity's affordable housing corporation. According to Tudor, the organization told him he was a priority.

But when he reached out to the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation in August,he said he was told the application couldn't be found, then that it was filed under the wrong name and wasn't a priority. The organization refiled another application.

For the past several months,Tudor said he'sbeen renting a room at a Budget Inn Motel for $55 a day. He said it's the cheapest he can find in the city, but after he pays the bill, all he has left to spend on food is $53.

"Who on this planet can survive to live with $53 per month?" Tudor said.

During his cancer treatments, Tudor had part of his colon removed and now lives with a pouchthat he must keep clean. But he said that's hard to do with a limited income and no stable housing.

He also saidhe can't save first and last month's rent, which is what he needs to get an apartment.

In December, Tudor's friend and pastor, Bill Muresan,said he found him sleeping in his car and since then, he has occasionally paid for his housing and provided him with food.

"He has not asked for anything else, just basic minimum ... for him to have a place and have a shower and call his own," Muresan said.

"I know that's very hard to get housing, [but] on the other side, I know there are priorities and I think he's a priority."

Affordable housing 'not keeping pace'with need

The latest census data released by Statistics Canada Wednesday shows a"huge increase" in housing costs, according to Lorraine Goddard,chief executive officer of United Way Windsor-Essex County.

Goddard said while there were fewer people who were considered as having inadequate or unaffordable housing,some of that is because of income support being offered due to COVID-19.

"We know that affordable housing is not keeping pace with the need of our community," Goddard said, addingUnited Way has found an increasing number of people are spending more than 50 per cent of their income on shelter.

She said the housing crisis is a "ticking time bomb" that will depend on short-term solutions, such asproviding income supports, while people wait for the affordable housing stock to increase.