The Grey Bruce Health Unit is looking to raise awareness of what they call an emerging issue in the community, home takeovers.
They define a home takeover as a situation where a vulnerable homeowner or tenant is forced to accommodate an unwanted guest in their home, usually a friend or relative, who may have initially been invited to stay over. The situation becomes a home takeover when the perpetrator refuses to leave and their actions or activities make the occupant feel unsafe in their own home.
Public Health Nurse Lisa Alguire says the impacts of a home takeover can be devastating.
“Some of the direct consequences that we are seeing with people who have experienced a home takeover include eviction, loss of control of their home and targets may be exposed to threats, violence, coercion, abuse and exploitation; which are all associated with serious mental and physical health impacts,” said Alguire.
The issue was first identified by Grey County Housing last fall during a survey.
Alguire is co-lead of a new pilot project looking to reduce these sorts of incidents by making resources available to help identify and respond to home takeovers.
To learn more about home takeovers, visit www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca
