Tales from the margins Bed Bug Reports Database …

A brother of a man who died while living in a home run by People Helping People, a neighbour who gave food to residents of another home, and a workergive an inside look at the organization under scrutiny after a fire Monday that led to a mans death.

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Kevin McNamee died alone, in a basement room on Fleming Dr. in Londons east end.

The 51-year-old had been in that locked room alone for about three days by the time another resident, who like Kevin had mental health issues, knocked down the door and found him Oct. 22, 2012.

Im horrified. I trusted (the organization) with my brother. Its been a big loss to me, said Robert McNamee, Kevins brother.

The organization caring for Kevin was People Helping People, now under public scrutiny after a fire Monday that killed a man in an apartment building on Oxford St. E.

The organization is run by Keith Charles, who says he is a former drug addict who started People Helping People about six years ago after noticing those with addictions and mental health issues had nowhere to go after being discharged from hospital.

The McNamees story is just one that The Free Press has heard since the Monday blaze, raising questions about the need for better housing for the mentally ill, and better oversight at unregulated homes that promise hot meals, help with taking medication and round-the-clock supervision.

Reached Thursday night, Charles said he remembers Kevin but could not answer any questions because he was standing in the rain and he needed to help residents of the burned-out Oxford St. building.

When Kevin was discharged from Regional Mental Health London in August 2011, he had nowhere to go, his brother said. When Charles approached the brothers in the hallway of the hospital about a place to live with hot food and supervision thrown in, Robert McNamee said he was thrilled.

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Tales from the margins Bed Bug Reports Database ...