ACORN Members and Tenants in Brantford’s Echo Place Save City-Owned Homes!

In early June, tenants in Brantford’s Echo Place neighbourhood received some alarming news: they were given just 30 days to decide whether to buy their affordable rental homes or face the possibility of their units being put up for sale. Their homes are city-owned market rent units that were purchased in the 70s in preparation for an eventual freeway extension project that has been definitively cancelled since before 2012. The most alarming revelation of the potential unit sales was that the city intended to use the revenue from displacing these 31 families to pay for subsidized housing elsewhere in the city! As ACORN member and Echo place tenant, Miranda Wrona says, “you just can’t steal from Peter to pay Paul!”.

The tenants weren’t about to back down and lose their longterm affordable homes. On June 24, they showed up in force at the City Council meeting, voicing their concerns and pushing back against the potential displacement. The debate was heated, and while the vote was postponed until the August 27 meeting, the tenants didn’t just sit back and wait for the vote – they got organized!

Determined to make their voices heard, they banded together and gathered support, joining forces with ACORN members and allies. They held strategy sessions with supportive councillors, chose passionate leaders to speak on their behalf, and rallied their community. On the day of the Council meeting, they were bolstered by volunteers from LSPIRG (Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group), who came out in full support.

Their efforts paid off. At the August 27 meeting, five powerful delegations from Echo Place tenants and ACORN members made a real impact on undecided councillors. The City Council listened, and in a resounding 9-2 vote, they decided to let the tenants stay in their homes and only list them as the units become naturally vacant! This vote is in alignment with the existing precedent of selling city-owned properties only once they become vacant through natural attrition.

This victory isn’t just about keeping homes; it’s a powerful example that when we come together, we WIN!