A downtown Oshawa property manager says she risks losing her family business, located opposite a non-profit agency that helps people who are homeless, amid ongoing issues on her property — including drug use, vandalism and public urination.
Lord Simcoe Place on Simcoe Street S. has been in Cindy Malachowski’s family for generations. But she says the building is bleeding tenants and has its highest vacancy rate in some 55 years.
“We had one paralegal service leave, saying, ‘We love the building, you’re a great landlord, but we watch people urinate outside our window and watch people shoot up,’” she said.
Malachowski’s troubles reflect concerns across downtown Oshawa, which has a high concentration of social services compared to the rest of Durham Region, Mayor Dan Carter has previously said.
While businesses report problems with people accessing those services, experts say there are few options for shelter spaces across Ontario, and so more needs to be done to address the root causes of homelessness.
Malachowski’s building is opposite Back Door Mission, a non-profit inside a former church. The mission helps facilitate Mission United, a program that had its origins during the COVID-19 pandemic
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