Winnipeg senior didn't expect to live out the 'golden years' in fear

When Ray Zinck moved into North Point Douglas Manor six years ago, all the residents were 55 and older, he says. 
But that changed three years ago when Manitoba Housing started renting some of the low-income apartments to people of all ages.

"There's stabbing's everywhere, upstairs on the 10th floor, then there's stabbings on four, then there's a guy committing suicide a week and a half ago, trying to commit suicide. You see it all," said Zinck, 76.

On top of all of that, Zinck said there hasn't been a caretaker in the building for months. 

"See that light bulb there? I've got to get a ladder to climb up there. There's no caretaker here to do that, and if you phone maintenance, it takes you a week," Zinck said. 

Zinck worked as a long-haul truck driver for most of his life and thought when he retired 13 years ago, he'd live out his days in relaxation.  

"One of my best friends got robbed right down here. Like hello, what does it take? What does it take to stop this?" said Zinck. "I worked all my life; I don't think we should have to go through this.

"I want to see that everybody here has a proper protection and everybody don't have to worry about walking down the hallway and some nutcase on the loose."

Housing and Community Development Minister Mohinder Saran said the province rents empty suites to low-income people of all ages instead of leaving them empty.

"When they build some of the housing, there's a portion of that, that will be the social housing, affordable housing. The other will be part market housing," said Saran. "We also have to keep up with the expenses and that way, we can somehow compensate. Whatever we're losing on one side, we can save on the other side." 

The minister believes seniors can also benefit from being around young people and not just older adults.

"Adding the different age groups, it makes them feel alive and vibrant. Otherwise they're passing years, they're sitting over there talking about their old age problems," Saran said.

Some seniors' advocates say the housing situation for seniors isn't always good.

"You should see where people are living; it's not always pretty," said Amanda Macrae, CAO of Age and Opportunity. "It's not always what we talk about in terms of how we envision our golden years. It's rough for some folks."

Age and Opportunity is an non-profit organization that aims to empower and support older adults in Manitoba. It has a housing co-ordinator who can help seniors navigate the search for a place to live, but Macrae said unless they start planning early, the place they want might not be available.

"Our housing market is not great, so sometimes when something becomes vacant, people have to jump on what's available, because there aren't a lot of choices, so it may not be their first choice or even their second," said Macrae.

Some seniors are struggling financially and rely on programs such as Meals on Wheels..

"Some seniors can't afford to live on their own and are moving back in with their children," said Rhonda Gardner, executive director of Meals on Wheels.

Volunteers deliver 500 to 800 meals a day. In 2014, they delivered 168,000 meals in Winnipeg; 58,300 went to the North End.

"Our hot meals provide one-third of Canada's requirements for the food guide, and so you know when they're dropping down to two meals a week, and that may be the only two meals they're eating, that's a huge concern," said Gardner.

Each hot meal costs $6 and includes soup, a dinner roll, an entree (which would be a protein, starch, vegetable or a casserole) and a dessert.

Zinck knows some of the seniors in his building are struggling. To help them out, when he cooks a meal, he often makes a little extra to go around. He now wants to see government do more to keep low-income seniors safe.