‘They checked for bed bugs but not for wellness’: Mother raises concerns about the response to another death at Parkdale Landing
When Charlotte Green read about two men who appeared to be dead in their rooms for days before being discovered at a supported-living home, she gasped.
I just saw red," she says. The same thing happened to my son."
In the three days Eric Lovett was unseen before his body was discovered, a peer support worker was concerned enough to slip a note under his door with the number for a crisis line scrawled on it.
Yet, nobody opened the door.
I hold that inside me now," Green says.
Three deaths have gone undiscovered at Parkdale Landing, even when there were red flags that something might be terribly wrong.
Parkdale is operated by Indwell, a 50-year-old Christian-based Hamilton non-profit organization. It provides affordable supportive housing and employs nurses, psychiatric social-support workers, addiction experts and housing specialists.
The need for safe and affordable housing has reached crisis levels in Hamilton, in part because of the opioid crisis.
Jeff Neven, CEO of Indwell, declined to answer questions from The Spectator, but provided a statement.
For many of our tenants, this ability to control their own front door is the first step to independence," it reads in part. Respecting privacy is our first step in establishing trust and a respectful supportive relationship."
On Nov. 30, 2018 Michel Pilon's 97-pound body was found hog-tied in the bathroom of his tiny bachelor apartment. He had been murdered - perhaps as long as 28 hours earlier. Even when a Parkdale staff member knocked on the door and was greeted by Michel's killer - who said Michel was out - the homicide was not discovered until a drug dealer reported it.
Michel used a wheelchair and was dying of AIDs.
On July 15, 2022, Michael Miller's body was discovered by police in his bed. By then, he may have been dead up to seven days. At one point, a staff member opened his door, quickly looked in, then closed it again. It was another day before police were called.
Michael was blind and had schizophrenia.
Early autopsy results suggest identifying Michael's cause of death may be difficult given the extent of decomposition.
In between Michel and Michael, there was Eric. At 36, he was a sociable guy who had once been a competitive golfer, and lived with schizophrenia.
Green loved her son dearly, but she's not the sort to sugar coat things. His life was troubled.
He lived on the street, struggled with addiction and had a violent criminal record.
In 2003, he walked into a Hasty Mart on Queen Street South and shot the clerk, who was from Iraq. Eric had been watching coverage of the war in Iraq and voices told him to kill.
While he was in jail he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison.
After his release, Green learned about an impressive new supportive care apartment opening in Hamilton. She thought it would be a soft place for Eric to land."
Parkdale Landing is home to Indwell's highest need residents, who have mental health and addiction issues.
Eric moved into his apartment in September 2018. Green - who lives in Kingston - was relieved.
I believed there were all sorts of supports in place," she says.
Things were good for Eric at first. He was getting at least one good meal a day, thanks to Parkdale's supper program in its dining room. He had been off hard drugs for about five years, his mom says, and he talked about becoming a peer support worker.
But by January 2019 things shifted. Drugs were easily available in Parkdale (there was vast evidence of this at the trial for Michel's killer) and Eric was lured back" into old habits.
He was thrown into the lion's den," Green says. He begged me to take him out."
She is wracked with guilt that she didn't. There was nowhere else for him to go except a shelter or back on the street.
I am so devastated and so sick, and I'm blaming myself."
On the evening of Thursday, March 28, 2019, Green and Eric chatted on the phone for two hours.
We just talked and laughed about life in general," she says.
On Friday evening Eric was seen around Parkdale.
On Saturday and Sunday, he was not.
Green says staff later told her they wondered if maybe he went away for the weekend."
But a support worker was concerned enough to slip a handwritten note under his door:
Hey Eric, I tried knocking on your door but there was no answer. I'm concerned but you could also be sleeping. I will check in with you again tomorrow."
The note lists numbers for the police, the Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST) and the Barrett Centre for those needing help with a mental health crisis.
On Monday, April 1, 2019, staff called police.
Eric was found dead in his room. An autopsy showed he died of an overdose of methamphetamine laced with fentanyl.
The coroner's report referenced a concern that there were issues with purple heroin in the complex."
Purple heroin is a street drug that typically contains fentanyl.
For Eric's mother, the tragedy of her son's death is worsened by the indignity of his body going undiscovered.
In the aftermath, Indwell told Green it would conduct an internal audit of the factors and conditions surrounding Eric's death.
Green sent a list of concerns - and possible solutions - to Indwell, hoping to prevent another deceased resident from going unfound.
The letter, dated Dec. 3, 2020 and addressed to Neven and the Indwell board of directors, questioned the level of care being offered by the supportive living facility and the training of its staff.
She said the organization was promoting skills that they did not have" in caring for individuals with drug addiction.
Topping her list of concerns was Indwell's ability to conduct wellness checks."
Green notes Indwell says staff must abide by the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). That allows staff to go into an apartment to check on the state of the room, but not the state of the tenant.
They checked for bed bugs but not for wellness," she says. Several notes from Indwell found inside Eric's apartment said staff would be checking your apartment for any concerns related to upkeep or maintenance."
Green suggested tenants could sign a consent form to allow staff to do an emergency entry" as defined under the RTA, to check on residents when there is grave concern for their health or safety. She also advocates for consent for a daily check in."
In his statement, Neven says: All parties adhere to the Residential Tenancies Act. The laws and procedures under this act determine when, how and under what circumstances a housing operator can enter an individual's private space."
Green added in her letter that there should be staff training on when to conduct a wellness check.
Parkdale workers and residents who normally heard and saw Eric daily were concerned.. but (there was) insufficient training and protocol, and confidence that they have the authority...to open the door or call in to the unit and...hear his voice."
She also suggested Parkdale should have dry floors" for tenants who do not want to be around drugs and alcohol.
Green ended her letter with this: When a family entrusts their loved one to Indwell, we would like to be assured that it is into the best possible environment that can be given to them. I hope that the Board looks at these suggestions and comments and is able to direct them into action. I hope that I can contribute to positive change for this to happen at Indwell for the future men and women who attend there."
Green has no indication any of her suggestions were implemented.
Neven's statement to The Spectator says: We recognize the possibility that not all individuals may survive their addiction, despite the access and supports we offer. Since 2019, we have implemented numerous changes that maintain a focus on recovery and independence including establishing buddy systems' with naloxone and close partnership with the Shelter Health Network to assist people to gain treatment as soon as they are ready."
Susan Clairmont is a justice columnist at The Spectator. sclairmont@thespec.com