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Boarded-up homes and those left damaged by fires aren’t just an eyesore – they can be a danger to those who live nearby.
On Thursday, 980 CJME reported on the concerns felt by a resident of Regina’s North Central neighbourhood, who said the neglect of these properties is exposing wider issues about the city’s most vulnerable residents.
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It is a sentiment echoed by Pat Faulconbridge, executive director of the North Central Community Association. She said abandoned properties expose the economic strain, neglect, and a growing homeless population in the Queen City.
“Some houseless people actually look for houses that have dirt floors in the basement, because starting a fire in the house on a dirt floor is safer than starting a fire where there’s flammable material. So it’s not like houseless people are not concerned also about fires – they are, but they are just trying to find a place to be safe,” Faulconbridge said.
Pat Faulconbridge said there needs to be an incentive offered to help people build new, low-income housing in North Central to help revitalize the neighbourhood. (Abby Zieverink/980 CJME)
However, Faulconbridge added, it is not easy for the surrounding neighbours.
“One fire in one abandoned home is not just that abandoned home that’s being impacted,” she said. “It’s the neighbors around it as well, and that is costly for them to try to manage the damage that’s done to their properties as well.”
She pointed to three reasons as to why homes end up in rough shape. Some owners don’t live in Regina but have tons of rental properties in the city, leaving some to get neglected. In some cases, the homeowner died, and the family inherited the place but either doesn’t want it or it needs too many repairs. In other cases, homes have families still living there but they just can’t afford to fix things up.
Faulconbridge said there are homeowners in North Central that have lived there for decades, but as low-income families they don’t necessarily have the money for maintenance and upkeep, especially when it comes to costly projects like replacing shingles or siding.
“There’s nearly a point of no return,” Faulconbridge said.
“It may start with some shingles curling on the roof or leaky windows, or the house shifts and the door frames don’t fit. It may start with one or two things, but over time it becomes multiple, and it’s just so cost prohibitive to be able to bring things up to standard.”
According to Gloria Jlassi, a resident of North Central, a garage near her home has caught fire three times in six months. (Gloria Jlassi/Submitted)
What happens when the city deals with nuisance properties?
In 2024, the City of Regina conducted 48 “nuisance property demolitions.”
Chad Freeland, Regina’s bylaw department manager, said dealing with derelict or nuisance properties can be a challenging and sometimes lengthy process.
“For something as simple as taking down a burned shed or garage in the backyard, it may handled pretty quickly, within a number of weeks or a month or two,” he said.
But when it comes to houses, Freeland said there are more parameters the city has to follow, which draws out the process.
“Depending on some of the circumstances we see, some of these cases are drawn out over many months and, in some cases, even years, just because maybe legal issues that apply to the property,” said Freeland.
“Property owners are unavailable. It’s hard to track them down. That is part of our investigation process, and often those are some of the components that lead to dragging out some of these cases.”
Property owners need help
Faulconbridge said all levels of government need to work together to incentivize residents to help bring their property up to standard so it doesn’t become abandoned or run down, and to help with new builds after a property is demolished.
“Some of the boarded houses are being taken down, but then now we have these empty lots sitting there, and that doesn’t help either,” she said.
Faulconbridge maintained that if there are ways to clean up and improve properties in North Central, it would make the neighbourhood more attractive to those looking to buy, stay, or build.
“What we hear the most from residents in North Central is how much they care about their community and care about their neighbors, and they don’t think the broader community at large – like outside of North Central – understand that the people that live here do not think they have the respect from people that are outside the community,” she said.
