is the reason it's taking so long to get into subsidized housing because i'm single and families take priority?

no.

i'm only eligible for a one bedroom apartment. now, the one bedroom apartments in the system are likely to be relatively large, and the buildings are supposed to be non-smoking (a key point.), but i'm eligible for what i'm eligible for, nonetheless.

families - wherever they're from - are going to be placed into row houses, and apartments with multiple bedrooms. they won't stick five people into a one bedroom apartment.

so, these are not the people i'm competing with for spaces in the system at all. the people i'm competing with are sometimes going to be seniors (although they have specific buildings for seniors, too), but are mostly actually other disabled people. i don't even think i'm behind a lot of single refugees, as most of the refugees that come into the country are either families or not eligible for subsidized housing at all. it would be a small percentage, anyways, i would guess.

there's actually really just not enough supply to meet demand, for single people, specifically.

now, i could argue that there aren't enough units being built that are intended specifically for single disabled people, and that that's a broad oversight of the system, generally. society has a responsibility to house the disabled, and most of us are not going to end up in long term relationships or have children, because we're disabled; so long as the social responsibility to house the disabled exists, you're going to need to build one bedroom apartments for them, and that's maybe not happening because it's not seen as a priority. i'd actually consider it ideal to move into a large building that strictly houses single disabled people, but that seems to be viewed distastefully by a lot of people nowadays because it's "exclusionary", which i think is silly. i'd actually be more likely to meet friends in a building like that; i wouldn't feel ostracized, at all. so, it might be true that the focus on housing poor families has meant less resources have been directed towards housing disabled single people, and that that is an oversight that needs to be addressed, but i'm not behind a bunch of families on the list - that's not how that works.

where refugees are going to put pressure on housing poor singles is more in the private sector, and the crux of my argument has actually been that you need to get people like me out of the market in order to try to get prices down a little. i shouldn't be forced to compete for housing, like that...

so, my rest was longer than i thought, and i was woken up by a city worker that wanted to check my unit for gas. i didn't ask them to do that...

it's been better the last few days, so he didn't pick anything up; i wouldn't have expected him to, and didn't call him for that reason. i wanted the lines cleared in the front, which he's claiming isn't necessary. if he's right, that would suggest that the lines on the property need snaking.

this brought the landlord into the basement, who appeared to be baffled and embarrassed by the situation, which is actually a positive development. i got him to admit negligence. the first step is admitting you have a problem.

but, he denied my snake request; he did put a cap on the line, though, and all i can say is that he'd better hope that actually works. if we end up snaking in the end then that's going to be a costly mistake...

i got him to admit that he hasn't filed yet, and he thought he could just convince me to go, because property rights. lol. after conversing with him for a little, it really seems like he would be an easy litigation victim; he's clearly not well-informed about the legalities of the situation, and doesn't seem to be very interested in figuring it out. i am at least satisfied that he understands, now, that he has to file, but i'm not convinced that he will. i may have actually talked him out of it...he took the check.

i filed my counter-claim immediately, on the 25th.

i've mentioned repeatedly that i don't want to move right now - i'm fighting the cops, i've got a human rights case and i'm waiting on subsidized housing. if he misses the deadline to file, and the sewer issue actually gets fixed, for real, i could withdraw or otherwise halt. but, we won't know that for a good while, still.

i told him not to do that.

i took a shower when he left..

now, i think i'm alert enough to get back to work, and really want this done with soon.

where have i been? no posts in 24 hours, almost...

i spent yesterday afternoon processing what i learned from the plumber, yesterday. how am i getting sewer gas through a runoff line? is the sewer on the street combined? do the lines need to be cleared?

so i sent off an email to the engineering department, and i wrote up a letter for my landlord, asking for the lines to be snaked (and also for clarity on whether he's going to accept rent from me this month or not). i had to get to the library to print it, which stunk me up from being outside - but it also wasn't as cold as i feared.

so, i decided to get out and do groceries....and didn't get back until after 22:00. i got all of the things i need for most of the winter, meaning that remaining trips until the spring should mostly be restricted to getting perishables for immediate consumption. i got a prepaid debit for the upcoming trip to toronto, too. i made some spaghetti. i took a shower. and, i feel asleep around 2:00.

i was up a little after 8:00 and called the landlord and tenant board. they claim there's an up to three week lag between filing and processing the applications, which is a lot longer than previously. so, they don't expect to even have a date court date ready until mid november, and that date probably won't be until mid-january. that would suggest that i'll be here until march 1st at the very earliest, which gives me enough time to try and smooth the issue over - or to save some cash to get ready to move. but, i'll call again early in the week...

i got a response from the engineering department this morning, and they're claiming the lines are actually separate, which is surprising to me. most of windsor has combined lines. but, i found a schematic, and, sure enough, the lines are split.

how am i getting sewer gas out of a stormwater drain, then? something must be very wrong...

so, i've got a request into 311 to come snake the city's side of the line, in addition to the request for the landlord to snake the line from this side.

and, i haven't heard anything back from the landlord about the rent. if i don't hear anything by monday, i'll have to type him another letter indicating that i'm acknowledging his lack of reaction as refusing acceptance of the rent (and more evidence that he expects me out by the end of the year). i'll indicate that i'm willing to pay at any time, but that i won't pay interest, because he's refusing it. to be clear: what he's saying is that he'll pay me the one month's penalty by refusing november, and then give me last month's for december. but, he's not going to get a court date until january....

if i can save up a few months of rent, and then win money in a court case, it's easier than taking him to collections.

i need a short nap. but, i'm going to spend the afternoon finishing the november documents, and then get to doing the legal stuff for the weekend. the long range here is terrible, so i don't expect to be going to anything for a while unless i'm really, really keen on it. i should have the toronto trip planned by monday, hopefully...