The housing crisis is hitting several cities in Quebec, and Saguenay is no exception, a stressful situation for tenants looking for a new home, even for those from the middle class.
• Read also: Fight against inflation: a 2and aid check from Quebec in March?
• Read also: Barely a handful of housing units available in Sherbrooke
• Read also: Virtually no more vacant units in Rimouski
“It has almost become a full-time job. We made at least 15 housing requests and that’s not counting all those we looked at, but got no response. And we still haven’t found it,” admitted Jonathan Thibeault, who has been stepping up the steps since January in the hope of finding a new, more affordable home.
He denounces the abuse of certain owners.
“I saw a very small 4 and a half rooms at $1,200 a month. There are owners who abuse and who will offer a very small 4 and a half at $1,200 per month. I’ve never seen that before,” he said.
This is nonsense, believes the young self-employed worker from the middle class.
“We are told to buy a house, but not everyone has the means. Access to property is very difficult,” he added.
Jonathan Thibeault denounces the demands of building owners who almost systematically request personal data for their credit inquiries.
“I’m also afraid to know where this information ends up afterwards. I was forced to give my personal information without even having seen photos of the accommodation,” he explained. However, Quebec does not intend to legislate on this specific point.
The Unissons Saguenay political party urges the City to act and asks it to create a register of available housing on the territory.
“We must ensure that information on the price of rents is public,” said party leader Claude Côté.
Mr. Côté suggests to the mayoress of Saguenay, Julie Dufour, to include rents at affordable prices in her project to build 1,000 housing units in downtown Chicoutimi.
“There is a housing crisis in Saguenay and it must be dealt with as a priority,” he declared.
Julie Dufour and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Andrée Laforest, will meet soon to discuss the new Quebec Affordable Housing Program set up by Quebec and the possibilities it offers.
SEE ALSO
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com