Rent hikes leave senior with $10 a month

A Brandon man is unhappy with Manitoba Health continuously raising his rent at the Fairview Personal Care Home, leaving him with nearly no money every month.

Louis Sokol, 77, has lived in a room at the home for about four and a half years. During that time, his rent has gone up almost $700.

Last month he spent $1,891 on rent. That leaves him with only about $10, he said.

“Manitoba Health wants to take every last dollar that I have, and then what?” Sokol said in his room at the facility.

Sokol paid $1,227 for rent in January 2022, and as rent went up and his fixed income didn’t, he started taking money out of his registered retirement income fund (RRIF) account.

“This last month was $1,900. And for what? A hole in the wall, and the meals are crap. I can’t even eat half of them,” he said about the care home at 1351 13th St.

The money taken from his RRIF counts as income, which means his rent, which is based on a tenant’s income, also went up.

“What am I supposed to do? It’s just out of this world.”

Sokol continued taking money out of the RRIF account to pay for the increased rent, as he didn’t have other savings.

“It’s all because I’ve taken bits and pieces of money out of my RRIF account. That’s what’s doing all that,” he said while sitting on his bed, wearing an old dark green Edmonton Eskimos cap. “That’s not money that I earned.”

After Sokol pays his rent he has about $10 to spare, he said, which goes toward bills. The lack of funds means he’s had to take money out of his RRIF account again, exacerbating the problem.

He wants his rent to be at least $400 less than his income, which would allow him to pay bills and still have money for other expenses. He took that number from Manitoba Health’s personal care service’s guide.

The guide says people should have $4,800 left per year, which is equal to $400 a month.

“Everyone needs spending money (disposable income) for personal expenses,” reads part of the 22-page guidebook. “After paying your daily residential charge for personal care services, you should still have at least $4,800 per year.”

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara wasn’t available for an interview on Thursday, but a spokesperson for Asagwara sent a statement.

“Charges are calculated using net income from a resident’s tax return, which includes income from all sources such as pensions, RRSPs, RRIFs, or investments,” the statment read. “This approach is designed to ensure fairness and consistency, while adjustments can be made if income fluctuates year to year.”

The spokesperson said the cost of rent for tenants, which ranges from $43.10 to $104.20 a day, is to pay for things like labour, supplies, food and maintenance. The cost of care is $296 per person per day.

“Our priority is to make sure seniors continue to receive high-quality care in a way that is fair, sustainable, and compassionate,” the spokesperson said.

Sokol said he’s looked for other places to live, but he hasn’t found anything within his price range. He said he doesn’t have a lot of money left in his savings — which are all in his RRIF account — and doesn’t know what it means if rent continues to go up and the account is depleted.

“I don’t think they can throw me out, and I can’t pay it,” he said. “They can’t touch my RRIF.”

He said September’s rent is also at risk of going up, but he might just not pay it.

“I told them the other day that I’m putting a hold on my September rent till they come up with some kind of a solution,” Sokol said. “But Manitoba Health appeal board, it takes roughly four to six months for them to hear an appeal. So what am I to do from now for another four to six months before the appeal is heard?

“How am I going to pay my rent?” he asked. “I’m really up the creek.”

Sokol has kept all the documentation from previous appeals, much of which refers to an early agreement on how his contract works.

He said he didn’t know exactly how the contract worked when it was decided over a phone call, and it’s impossible to go back and change things.

Messages and calls for comment from the facility and Prairie Mountain Health weren’t returned.

» alambert@brandonsun.com