More than 50 days after the evacuation, many residents of Westcourt Place in downtown Windsor are still struggling to find a place to live.
They face obstacles, including a low vacancy rate in the city, and higher rent, not to mention the difficulties of signing a lease.
"This is probably one of the worst times ever to be looking for new accommodations, especially if you're renting," said James White, an administrator of the Facebook group Residential Tenants of Westcourt Place Windsor Ontario. "If you have to sign a one-year lease and you have to break it in six months, that's going to cost you money."
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's last figures suggest the Windsor Census Metropolitan Area suggested the rental vacancy rate in the city is just 2.9 per cent. The average people can expect to pay for rent, meanwhile increased 11.5 per cent between October 2017 and 2018.
"Over seven weeks of being displaced, a lot of people were financially strapped," he said. "A lot of people are borrowing money from relatives. A lot of people are in bad situations, and there's only so long they can do that."
Strosberg, Sasso, Sutts LLP filed a class-action lawsuit in hopes of recouping those costs.
Since the fire at Westcourt Place on November 12, the tenants have been meeting weekly. White says they will hold their sixth meeting on Sunday. He hopes to find out how many residents have been able to find a new apartment so far.
He believes the plight of his neighbours highlights a need in Windsor for a crisis management plan to deal with similar incidents in the future.
"Everyone thinks that someone else should be taking care of it," White said. "It's a crisis that's going on only because our system is not designed to deal with it."
Last month, Mayor Drew Dilkens told BlackburnNews.com the City of Windsor had put some tenants up in a motel on Howard Avenue, but he could not say how many, or how much it cost taxpayers.
He did express sympathy with the tenants saying, "our goal was to make sure no one was left on the street, and we've done that."
Some residents have sought refuge in homeless shelters, while others are staying with friends and family.
White could not say how many have successfully found a new home, but he moved into a new apartment last week.
He plans to return to Westcourt Place once the building reopens.
