Dozens of people who live in the Louis Riel House Residence at SFU are looking for a new place to live after being told they must leave by the end of August. But, the university says its has to close the facility due to health and safety concerns.

SFU student Teresa Dettling, a 35-year-old single mother who grew up in foster care, says she never imagined she would be at odds with the university.

“They are slumlords,” says Dettling. “They fit the definition of slumlord. If SFU was under the Residential Tenancy Act, the behavior that the university has undertaken towards us in terms of maintaining the building and treatment of the tenants, they would be liable.”

Dettling and more than a hundred other residents got notices that Louis Riel House Residence will be closing at the end of the summer.

She and other tenants gathered to publicly voice their concerns.

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“We were all lied to about the condition of the building before we took possession of our apartments,” says Dettling. “SFU advertises this building as being safe, comfortable and affordable. We were all horrified when we moved in because we saw the actual condition of the building, but none of us, in particular the international students, can afford to move.”

In a statement, the university says, “given ongoing concerns with the structure and indoor air quality at Louis Riel House Residence, and following a recent assessment that documented multiple concerns with indoor air quality, it is clear that the mechanical systems and building envelope are at the end of their life service. As a result Louis Riel House will close at the end of the current licence period (end of August 2015).”

The building will be torn down. It’s unclear right now if new family housing will be re-built or what will happen to the families currently living here. But, Nancy Johnston, Executive Director of Student Affairs, says other on- and off-campus housing options will be available for some residents.

SFU says it will continue to meet with and assist students and families. The university will be holding a town hall meeting for the residents at Louis Riel House tonight.

With files from Grace Ke