Some residents who live in the County of Simcoe social housing complex at 250 West St. N. in Orillia say they are living in fear among drug addicts and drug dealers who are often at the building.
Residents also claim unhoused people and non-residents have easy access to the building and often make their way to residents' doors and the laundry room and hang around, making some people feel unsafe.
Orillia OPP officers are at the building numerous times every week, said a group of residents who spoke with OrilliaMatters about the issues inside the four-storey building at the corner of West and Borland streets.
They pointed to an incident on March 5, when Orillia OPP officers were called to the building after a man was seen carrying a gun, drugs and cash; he is accused of threatening and spitting on people.
Late March 4, Karen Lefor heard banging and screaming at a door in her hallway because the tenant wouldn't let a man in. She and her neighbours came out to the hallway.
"He threatened me and her, saying, 'I will f-----g kill all of you.' I called the cops. The whole SWAT team came. They put him in the car and pulled out the gun and all the drugs and the money. It was ridiculous, and we are scared," Lefor said, noting it was one of many incidents police have been called to at the building.
Anne Tassé, who lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, moved into the building last May. She said she is triggered by loud noises. Since late September, three new neighbours, all of whom she claims have serious mental health and addiction issues and are very loud on a regular basis.
Repeatedly, she had asked a close neighbour to stop slamming his door. When she heard it again, she yelled at him to stop slamming the door.
"He went off on a rampage. People on our floor came out because they could hear me yelling," she said.
Tassé, who relies on the Ontario Disability Support Program, said her friends were at her door in an effort to protect her.
"We've grown to be family and support each other because there's so many things happening here," she said.
"With the recent incident, everyone is on edge and scared. Every time I open my curtains, there is a cop car. It's a regular occurrence. Personally, I've found drug paraphernalia on the floor outside my apartment, a glass pipe with residue in it," said Tassé.
She has documented issues and brought them to the attention of the workers at the building and the management at the County of Simcoe, which operates the facility, which cost about $79 million to construct.
"We have excessive noise at all hours due to fighting, partying, arguments. I have not had a guest over in I can't tell you how long, because they know what I am experiencing here," she said.
Tassé said she's had calls on the intercom at 6 a.m. from people wanting in the building and claims she's had unhoused people follow her into the building when she enters.
"I no longer sleep through the night. With post-traumatic stress, I have anxiety, fear and thoughts of self-harm. I can't be in this environment," she said.
Tassé said she moved in to escape violence in her previous home.
“Here I am again, now having to find another home to live in because I don’t feel safe here," she said with tears welling up in her eyes.
She's on a list for a new home and says she's ready to move at a moment's notice.
"My bags are packed and at the door."
Pam Morrison, who moved into the building in July, also said problems started in September.
"We have a lot of addicts that come in. They try to come in the door and you have to tell them, 'You can't,' but for my safety, I can't just stand at the door. What if they stab us with a dirty needle or they have a gun, which happened? I had a junkie spit in my face," she said.
"I haven't slept in weeks. The noise is excessive, and it's day in and day out."
She slept away from her apartment to get a good night's sleep last weekend.
Sitting with a stack of papers, Morrison said she has documented goings-on in the building and shared it with officials in the county's housing department, but she has not seen any results.
Norman Lewthwaite, a senior, moved into the building in August.
While people can come into the building to visit the social service agency offices, such as Ontario Works, offered Monday to Friday, they are not supposed to go to the residential areas, but it's easy to get around the building once they are in, he said.
Lewthwaite said he found a guy wandering in his hallway and escorted him out. He's also had people knock on his door, looking for someone else.
"They get mixed up and they are high," he said.
"They need a security guard here 24 hours a day."
George Ferguson was the first resident in the building when it opened on May 1, 2024. He said it was great, until the past few months.
"My main issue is the drug issue and the addicts. The way they behave is just crazy. And the crime. The police are fed up," he said.
Ferguson said it's so bad, he thinks Orillia OPP should put a substation on the property, similar to what was done at the Barrie Transit Terminal.
"Just having a police car parked here is a deterrent," he said, as two police cruisers arrived at the property.
Orillia OPP Const. Derek Tilley confirmed officers have been called to the building numerous times.
"While we have been called to that residence on occasion, any security measures for the building would need to come from the property owner/manager," Tilley said in an emailed response to OrilliaMatters.
"I can confirm there was an incident on Tuesday that involved an individual being arrested and a gun seized."
The building, on a former high school property, was built as a means to address the lack of affordable housing in Orillia. It has been open for more than 10 months and has 130 units and is home to hundreds of people.
There are two wings of housing, and the main floor features an open space with a café and social service offices. The building is equipped with security cameras.
Bradley Spiewak, director of community housing with the County of Simcoe, said he cannot discuss individual complaints.
"Our 24/7 video surveillance of the parking lot and building, which has been shared with the police, does not support some of the information given by tenants," he said in a written response to OrilliaMatters.
He said the Simcoe County Housing Corporation is working through problems as they arise and taking steps to correct them.
"As one example, we are currently making physical changes in the space to better separate commercial clientele from the residential areas," he said.
The county has already initiated the process to remove two occupants from the building and is addressing issues that may affect up to three other occupants, Spiewak said.
"Often, the landlord is working on the issue under the Residential Tenancies Act and with the police, but under privacy requirements these efforts cannot be shared, giving the false impression nothing is being done," he said.
Spiewak asks anyone who has evidence of a crime to report it to police or Crime Stoppers and to the county in writing so it can be addressed.
"We also remind tenants to not let people into the building that are not visiting their unit as this can create additional safety issues," he said.
Spiewak said the building has regular security checks with local police, and features secure entry and video surveillance throughout the building.
"This is a large but safe building with a good track record since opening in early 2024," he said.
"For those who require additional support and needs, we work to find them more appropriate housing in different buildings and programs."