Several people are essentially homeless after the building they were living in was declared unsafe in Bracebridge.

A leaky roof destroyed nineteen out of the 25 rental units in a privately-owned building on Monck Road on Tuesday.

“First and foremost is a concern for the residents in the building and making sure that they have shelter and a safe place to go,” says Mayor Graydon Smith. “So between the Town of Bracebridge and District of Muskoka and the Muskoka Victim Services, which is a fantastic organization, everyone has, at least, found temporary housing.”

The town’s chief building inspector investigated complaints about water leaks.

This isn’t the first time town staff has been called about leaks in the building. A permit was just issued for a roof job this week.

The repairs are expected to be time-consuming, meaning those forced out of their apartments won’t be returning any time soon.