Tension, uncertainty at Hilliard St

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Hi there, it’s Currents co-editor Gabe Pollock, here with your (somewhat delayed) weekly Peterborough Currents email newsletter!

This week we’re bringing you a story about an ambitious housing redevelopment in Peterborough, and the low-income families who are concerned about how it will impact them.

The public housing development at 1190 Hilliard St, owned by Peterborough Housing Corporation, currently has space for 28 families. A $47.2 million plan will demolish that building and replace it with 141 new units… but what happens to the current residents?

Read the full story on the Peterborough Currents website.

Tension, uncertainty ahead of potential public housing redevelopment

Planned $47.2 million redevelopment on Hilliard Street leaves current residents with questions about what happens to them
by Gabe Pollock

“People were breaking down in tears,” recalls one resident at 1190 Hilliard Street, speaking about a meeting that took place at the public housing complex back in January, “storming out because they weren’t getting answers.”

The meeting was co-organized by Peterborough Housing Corporation (PHC), the largest provider of community housing in the region, who own and operate the building, and the City of Peterborough. It was intended to be an update on a $47.2 million project, led by PHC and the City, to demolish and redevelop the housing complex into new, denser units.

However, the building’s current residents, largely low-income families, would have to be temporarily displaced and rehoused during this major construction project, and they say they’ve been unable to get answers to important questions, such as when this will take place and where they’ll be moved.

They also have concerns about the PHC as landlords, claiming the building is in increasing disrepair and they have ongoing challenges in communicating with staff.

Apparent black mould and damage in one of the units. (Source: Hilliard St resident)

Peterborough Currents spoke to four residents at 1190 Hilliard, who agreed to speak only on the condition that they could remain anonymous, out of concern for their precarious housing situation, and to PHC’s Director of Operations, to hear their perspective and learn more about the plans for this ambitious new housing development.

Read the article