A slew of break-ins and squatters in the stairwells at an apartment complex in Toronto's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood has residents saying they no longer feel safe in their homes.

Village Green Apartments is a three-building complex located along Donna Shaw Lane between Alexander and Maitland Streets, near Church Street.

Matthew McLaughlin has lived at one of the buildings, 40 Alexander Street, for the last eight years and pays around $1,700 per month in rent. But since about June, he says he's noticed intruders in the halls seemingly looking for "a warm place to sleep."

He's also seen discarded syringes in the stairwells, something he says "puts all of us at risk" if there is a fire alarm.

"Security needs to be upped," he told CBC Toronto.

Greenrock Property Management Limited has made recent security improvements at Village Green Apartments, but McLaughlin says it isn't enough to deter intruders.

Instead, he contends the property management company should invest in full-time security guards for each building.

'People are still sneaking in'

"It puts us all in a place of feeling uneasy because what we really want is to have full security on the premises at all times, and not just one guard, two guards," he said.

Village Green Apartments is a three building complex located in Toronto's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood. (CBC)

Justin Taylor, chief operating officer for Greenrock Real Estate Advisors, says he is aware of the recent issues and that the company has invested in measures to ensure the safety of the complex. But, he adds, it's not an easy task.

"Making [residents] feel safer is a difficult prospect," he said.

The three-building complex now has 112 security cameras, increased outdoor lighting and a updated landscaping plan that cleared trees and bushes that people could hide behind.

Greenrock added eight security guards this summer, which doubled their on-site presence in the afternoons and evenings — a change Taylor says they haven't made in four years. Still, there is a period of time that the apartment complex isn't monitored. Even when it is, there is only up to two security guards responsible for three buildings.

"We made a great investment into the safety of building, but the reality is people are still sneaking in," Taylor told CBC Toronto.

'No longer feels safe'

For McLaughlin, that's a "huge issue."

"I hardly ever see security on the premises and the times I have called the hotline they've told me there is nobody or they can't get ahold of anyone."

"We pay a lot of money to live here already and ... I don't think the security should be on the tenant side of things to take care of," he said.

The cost of renting a one bedroom suite ranges from $1,500 to $1,925 per month, while two bedroom suites cost $2,100 to $2,660.

In June, McLaughlin and other tenants started documenting their concerns and asking for changes to be made.

CBC Toronto obtained copies of the emails that residents sent to Greenrock.

In one email, a resident who has been renting at Village Green Apartments for 13 years wrote his wife "no longer feels safe" using the building's stairwell after encountering several "drug users passed out on landings.

"I have seen no overt signs of positive steps being undertaken to improve the situation, and indeed the number of intrusions appear to be increasing," the email read.

Some residents have also turned to police for help, filing a request for officers to conduct random patrols on the property. Greenrock said in an email they have granted police access to the complex to help boost security.

'Don't know what more we can do'

Taylor says an influx of crime in the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood may be to blame.

"I don't know what more we can do to address it," he said.

Tenants have recently been documenting encounters with squatters in the stairwells at Village Green Apartments. (Submitted by Matthew McLaughlin)

Earlier this month, Toronto Police Service assigned four additional neighbourhood officers to patrol the downtown area after two missing women were found dead by citizens, not officers, and several other people disappeared. The community also organized a volunteer-based walk-safe program to combat a growing sense of fear of walking alone at night.

This fall, local business owners in the Church and Wellesley area told CBC Toronto they are being pushed out by a spate of violent crimes that has left customers choosing to shop in other areas because they feel harassed when coming into the stores.

Squatters part of bigger issue: advocate

According to Nick Boyce, director of Ontario HIV and Substance Use Training program, drug users are more likely to seek shelter indoors during the winter months opposed to a park.

"The reason it happens is because people have nowhere to go to use drugs," he said.

"We've seen a lot of gentrification in the area so there's less places for people to hang out. It has made it more visibile."

Boyce lives in the Church and Wellesley area and says he has encountered used needles strewn at his property.

This is part of a bigger issue, he asserted, which is a lack of resources for people with addictions.