Andras Court property manager Betty McConkey-Kennelly says the new convex mirrors will help residents feel more secure. (Nicole Ireland/CBC)

The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Board has approved security guards for two public housing complexes.

Andras Court and Limbrick Place will each have a security guard for 12 hours a day.

Police have responded to hundreds of calls at the housing complexes — and tenants are concerned for their safety.

Support worker Kathy Kosolowski, who sees clients at Andras Court, said she has been calling for beefed-up security for months.

"They absolutely need somebody in that building,” Kosolowski said. “Preferably 24/7 … but I mean ... that would be the ultimate. But the 12 hours alone, I think, is going to knock back on the amount of crime coming out of there."

Social Services Board CAO Melissa Harrison said the goal is to have the security shifts start in May.

The cost for the security guards will total about $150,000 per year.

Field operations supervisor Bob Mills show the new slide bars installed on apartment doors in Andras Court.

Other security measures taken

Bob Mills, field operations supervisor for the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Board, said staff have installed security slide bars in all 221 units at Andras Court. They've also put convex mirrors in the hallways.

"A lot of these halls do jog a lot, so there are hiding areas,” he said. “We figured the mirrors would help."

The new locks and mirrors may add a layer of safety.

But property manager Betty McConkey-Kennelly said tenants have been asking for someone to be stationed on site.

"Some kind of officer that would be actually patrolling the building,” she said.

Kosolowski said the security presence will give her peace of mind.

"I would not be afraid to leave my worksite to go to my vehicle,” she said.

There's one more step before she can breathe a sigh of relief, however. That's approval of the board's budget — including the funds allocated for the new security guards — in February.