Shaganappi ‘ out of control’: ex- resident
After Calgary public- housing officials decided to relocate one Caucasian family after allegations of racially charged bullying, other families are questioning why they weren’t given similar treatment.
“That place is completely outofcontrol, completely,” said Lisa Parker. She’s among a handful of past and present Shaganappi Village residents who claim they had also asked to be transferred out of the cramped complex.
The 9,700- unit agency says it allows roughly 188 relocation requests each year, all for health, safety or space needs.
In May, Blair France went public with allegations her white family were regularly attacked by mobs of children lobbing stones and insults. She hosted an anti- bullying barbecue that attracted international media attention after claiming white families were attacked by children of East Africa immigrants.
Last month, a freedom- of- information request revealed the bullying escalated after the event, and France told the Herald publichousing officials relocated her over concerns for her safety.
Since then, other families have come forward, saying they also asked for a relocation, which city operator Calgary Housing Corp. only offers in rare cases.
Parker moved into the complex in February 2013 with four of her children, after taking a disability leave when her son’s death from an aneurysm caused her post- traumatic stress disorder. Her husband died years ago.
She remembers her first few months in Shaganappi Village as mostly normal, with visiting children occasionally stealing small objects that would show up weeks later. But things worsened in the summer.
“The police were there every day, talking about what was going on with the parents,” Parker claims. “Calgary Housing said ‘ Keep your kids inside.’ That’s not fair; it’s like a gang.”
Parker says East African children would often gather and lob rocks at houses where Caucasians live. Residents have said the bullying occasionally happens in reverse.
“I’m not racist; my children are aboriginal,” she said.
One night, a child climbed through a window and stole her teenage son’s smartphone. In another instance, a stone was tossed at her 8- year- old son’s head, which required stitches. Her daughter was beaten up at school by neighbouring kids.
“We need to be very careful as to making accusations and so forth until the identity has been revealed and then, and only then, we work with the parents,” said Larry Hamm, CHC operations manager. “I believe that we’ve come a long way since the days Ms. Parker refers to.”
Unlike in past interviews, CHC said evictions are possible for bad behaviour.
“We continue to impress upon parents their responsibility in their children’s behaviour and some of the consequences which could arise from that as well,” said Hamm. “That can, at the last resort, affect their lease.”
Parker said she repeatedly asked to be moved, echoing at least three current residents at the complex.
In data provided to the Herald, Calgary Housing said most relocations involve safety or need.
CHC deems a request high- emergency when personal safety is compromised, due to factors like family violence. The agency receives roughly 75 of these requests a year and accommodates all of them.
CHC classifies a request as highpriority when a move is necessary for medical or space reasons, such as when families members outnumber bedrooms. Roughly 143 of these requests are received annually, and about 80 per cent are accommodated.
When Parker’s one- year lease was set to expire in March 2014, she claimed the social worker suggested she move if she didn’t like the complex. The Herald has not been able to confirm this.
“Calgary Housing didn’t want to renew my lease; the social worker said ‘ You’re complaining so much, you should move,’” she claims. “They didn’t care that I was suffering from PTSD; we had a lot going on as a family and they basically tossed us out.
“I was quite shocked at the way they handled our situation,” said Parker, whose autistic son struggles to adjust to change.
Priced out of the city, Parker ended up moving to her adult daughter’s home in Lethbridge. She pulled her children from school with one- third of the year remaining. She believes she was offered some sort of rent subsidy, which CHC says is standard procedure for those experiencing difficulty in their housing placement.
Hamm could not speak to the specifics of the case, but noted that a waiting list and limited housing stock restricts CHC’s ability to relocate people. He wouldn’t say whether provincial regulations on relocations and evictions should be changed.
“At the end of the day, we need to work with what we’ve been given,” he said.
Parker agrees with those quoted in a recent Herald report, in which residents and politicians say the neglected complex suffers from underfunding, while its concentration of townhouses for larger families means a disproportionate amount of children roving the area with nothing to do.
“Certainly the inadequate funding has impacted how we’re able to deliver service and support,” said Hamm. “It impacts us right across all of the sites that are owned by the city and supported by the province.”
He added that local representatives are working with the nearby Wildwood School on after- school programming, and a shared parental-watch shift system is being considered.
Meanwhile, Parker moved back to the area last week, a kilometre from Shaganappi Village, to reconnect with church friends and bring some stability to her autistic child’s life. Her children are registered in a different school.
One daughter reconnected with her old friends at the complex, but word got around.
“I put boundaries and I hoped they’d respect them,” she said.
Days into her stay, children from the complex showed up at Parker’s doorstep, stealing two scooters and a sweater. She saw one child climb her fence this week to use her backyard trampoline.
“I can’t trust anybody; I’m going to have to have a security system here,” she said Friday. “It’s not the bullying now, but it will happen again, I can assure you.”