A Hamilton highrise with one of the worst lifespans in the world
The average lifespan of residents in Vanier Towers is 57 years. Residents are working with the city to improve health outcomes
AT
THE CORNER of Jackson Street West and Hess Street South stand two highrise apartment buildings, the kind of drab concrete boxes that sprouted like mushrooms across Ontario in the late 1960s.
Collectively, the two buildings are known as Vanier Towers. Owned and operated by CityHousing Hamilton, they provide social housing to 565 people, who also happen to be residents of CT37, the city’s poorest neighbourhood.
The tenants of Vanier Towers have a lot of challenges. Prior to arriving in the buildings, 80 per cent of them were either homeless or living precariously. About the same proportion say they don’t have enough money to survive.
With the blessing of the tenants, the city recently completed a community health profile of Vanier Towers, made up of resident surveys and data collected from a variety of sources. The results are shocking.
The study found the average lifespan of residents in Vanier Towers is 57 years. That’s 30 years less than the Hamilton neighbourhood with the longest lifespan.
Of all the disheartening statistics brought to light through the Code Red projects, that might be the most horrifying one.
That would rank Vanier Towers among the 15 worst countries in the world for life expectancy, worse than Mali, the violent west African nation that is the second-poorest country of all.
The study also found that 54 per cent of residents report being diagnosed with a mental health issue, and one-third say they had or have issues with addiction.
In 2017, the rate of ER visits for mental health reasons for residents of Vanier Towers was nearly seven times greater than the city-wide average.
Only a quarter of Vanier Towers’ residents said they feel safe and secure in the buildings.
What’s noteworthy is nearly 90 per cent of the residents have a family doctor but “many still rely on accessing health care through emergency services and walk-in clinics,” according to the study.
The reasons should ring alarm bells for health services of all types: “It takes too long to get appointments, health-care providers don’t spend enough time listening, and (they’re) unable to find transportation to care,” the report states.
“I’m saddened by the numbers,” said Vicki Woodcox, the city’s director of transitions and leader of the Vanier Towers project.
“But it also gave me hope,” said Woodcox. “It’s the tenants and their engagement that is the most encouraging thing at this point.
“That’s going to be the glue that holds everything together.”
LISA BURTON,
54, and Mike Hallman, 55, are two Vanier Towers residents trying to help their neighbours and reduce the stigma that comes from living in a large social housing complex.
“The stigma is there,” said Hallman. “I’ve seen people walk down the street and cross over to the other side, pass the buildings and then cross back.
“We’re all just normal human beings here,” said Hallman, with a touch of exasperation. “Their perception of us is they think everyone around here is an alcoholic, drug addicted, they’re all on (government) cheques.
“They don’t realize how many tenants here work for a living,” he said. “They’re determined to stay off cheques, so they go out and get two or three part-time jobs.”
Hallman runs the Care and Share Lounge in the building at 95 Hess St. S., which sells snacks and acts as a drop-in spot, with computers, internet access and a television to watch.
“For a lot of tenants, let’s face it, this is the last step before the street,” he said. “They come here angry, they come here frustrated, they’ve lost everything.”
A lack of social support is a significant issue for the residents. About two-thirds of the tenants are either socially isolated or have limited contact with family and friends.
“They get up, they do the same thing every day, over and over and over again,” said Hallman. “It gets to the point where it drives them absolutely bonkers. You don’t want to get up and just stare at the same four frickin’ walls.
“They feel cut off,” he added. “There are a lot of people who can’t escape their situations and that’s the sad part about it. The cycle basically has to be broken.”
BURTON
STARTED a program she calls HARPS — Healing Arts and Recovery with Peer Support. She teaches art and she’ll even try to help her neighbours sell their art.
She’s been living in Vanier Towers since 2004 and she wants to showcase the good things that come from the Vanier community.
“Try to remove the stigma,” Burton said. “Give them a sense of pride, a sense of belonging, a sense of accomplishment.”
Burton also acts as an advocate for other tenants with service providers, from legal clinics to the Shelter Health Network to mental health services.
“A lot of people have difficulty navigating the systems,” Burton said.
“Someone living in crisis has so many strains on their life — sometimes it takes them all day just to figure out how they’re going to get a meal,” she said. “Their focus is very small.”
Sometimes, she said, people just need help getting their message and thoughts out, so she acts as a translator.
“Quite often I say the same thing as them, maybe just a little less floral,” she said.
SINCE
EARLY last year, the city has been trying to move a range of services into the buildings from a variety of departments.
There’s now a home management worker, a community relations worker, an Ontario Works case manager, an Ontario Disability Support Program case worker, an addiction services facilitator and a mental health support group.
There’s also a family physician on site half a day per week, along with a nurse practitioner, a registered nurse and a chiropodist.
“It’s really about looking at things in a different way and breaking down silos,” said Woodcox.
The most promising development, Burton said, is that residents are being included in the planning and decisionmaking.
“When you give them the empowerment and let them be part of the process, it makes a huge difference,” said Burton.
“It gives a sense of ownership. It starts to change the culture.”