Some difficult decisions have to be made in the coming weeks by senior citizens living in the Mont-Carmel residence on René-Lévesque Boulevard East.
The building’s new owner plans to convert the senior’s home into private apartments for all age groups.
Monthly rentals for tenants will increase by three percent and services such as 24/7 nursing care, a round-the-clock reception office and a beauty salon will close.
Existing residents who are willing to pay more for less are allowed to stay. If not, they will be forced to move out by 31 July.
“This is absolutely inhuman,” 83-year-old Constance Vaudrin said Friday morning.
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The resident, who has lived in the senior’s home for almost five years, says she loves the place and the services provided.
Vaudrin says she is furious about the new owner planning to increase rent while services are being removed. She received a letter, as did all the other residents – almost 200 of them – on 31 January.
“I bear all the frustrations and anger of so many people here,” Vaudrin said.
A representative for the building’s new owner told Global News that the three percent rent increase is in line with the operating average for apartments and no one is being forced to leave.
But it does not fit well with some of the senior tenants.
“It is not really human to do this for us. So, I hope the government will be able to do something for us, ”said Laurent Dubé, another senior who lives in the building.
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In an email to Global News, Jean-Charles Del Duchetto, the press attaché for the Minister of Housing and Senior Citizens, writes, “For seniors who want to stay in the residence, the CIUSSS (integrated centers of health and social services ) will continue to provide home care and support services to people whose health requires it … Residents can also challenge their rent increases … For seniors who want to relocate, the CIUSSS will provide support to help them find another residence which suits their needs.
The seniors team up with local MNA Manon Massé, (Quebec Solidaire, Sainte-Marie – Saint-Jacques) to consider a legal challenge to prevent rents from rising and services being reduced.
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Reference-globalnews.ca