Shortage of housing: Quebec announces assistance of nearly $78 million for July 1

Most of the 77.8 million planned for theJuly 1 operation will be allocated to rent supplements that will allow hundreds of households to occupy private market housing by paying a rent equivalent to 25% of their income, specifies the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in a press release.

The government thus says it is ready to allocate $75.8 million to help more than 2,200 households. At least 500 units will be reserved for people facing homelessness, and 100 others for women victims of domestic violence.

The rent supplement program also provides a budget envelope of $2 million for municipalities that wish to take part in it by offering, for example, temporary accommodation and emergency storage of goods. The sum will also help housing offices wishing to set up a housing search assistance service (SARL).

In the press release, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing of Quebec, Andrée Laforest, saying she wishes that no one ends up on the streetsaid it expected an increase in the number of households needing help finding housing.

” This year, with the evolution of the rental market caused by the pandemic and inflation, we expect that a greater number of people will need assistance in their search or even financial support. »

It’s not so much a question of money as of the quality of the measures put in placereacted the spokesperson for the Popular Action Front in Urban Redevelopment, Véronique Laflamme, in an interview with ICI RDI.

Last year, less than 250 emergency rent supplements out of the 1,500 announced were granted because the target beneficiaries did not know of their existence, she said.

The government has indicated that the SHQQuebec Housing Corporation would launch an advertising campaign on May 29 to publicize the services it offers to tenant households who need help finding housing.

The good newsadds Ms. Laflamme, is that the government will give the power to the housing offices to directly set up emergency assistance services when their municipality does not want to do so.

Quebec has also recently improved its Housing Allowance program, intended for tenants. The maximum financial assistance has been increased from $80 to $100 per month. In the coming months, the maximum monthly amount will increase to $150, and the eligible clientele will be expanded.

Last year, the government waited until June 11 to announce an improvement to its programs, even if it struggled to recognize the existence of a housing crisis.

An announcement that “changes practically nothing” for Montreal

The vice-president of the executive committee of the City of Montreal and responsible for housing, Benois Dorais, sees as a good news the government’s decision to bring forward its announcement and to increase the amounts allocated to help citizens in rental difficulty.

The announcement is more for municipalities that do not already have an assistance service for their citizens in view of July 1, which is not the case for the metropolis, he underlined on the airwaves of the 15-18at HERE Premiere. For Montreal, it hardly changes anythinghe said.

” The Quebec government is investing 2 million for all of Quebec, and Montreal is already investing 3.5 [millions] for its own citizens. »

The City estimates that 10% to 20% more Montrealers will need help and anticipates 1,200 calls, said Mr. Dorais, inviting citizens to dial 311. We are ready […] and well-honedand the City’s partners too, he says.

Advocating an increase in the supply of social and community housing, he points out that in Montreal, it is not so much the number of available units that poses a problem as the number of affordable units.

An observation shared by FRAPRU. Downtown housing at $2000 or $3000 is completely inaccessible for the average personsays Ms. Laflamme.

A “deeper and deeper” housing crisis

Québec’s new action plan fits into the context of the housing shortage that is rife in several regions of Québec. Housing vacancy rates are historically low throughout Quebec.

In April, Minister Laforest recognized for the first time that a housing crisis existed in certain regions of the province.

For three years, we have seen that the situation is getting worse; we have an increasing number of tenant households in difficulty around the 1^er July and what we see is that the period is getting longer, so the crisis is getting deeper and deeperunderlines the spokesperson of the FRAPRUPopular action front in urban redevelopmentgiving as an example the regions of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Estrie, Mauricie and Centre-du Québec. And so onshe specifies.

People are extremely worriedshe says to see. And this year, small municipalities are newly affected, which makes us fear a very large number of homeless tenant households.she warns.

Véronique Laflamme calls for a plan upstream which would avoid the catastrophic July 1st that we currently havein particular by means of measures to counter the fraudulent evictions and investments in social, cooperative and non-profit housing.

” We are asking the government to pull itself together and intervene by adopting not only a plan for July 1, but a real plan against the housing crisis and that cannot wait for the election campaign. »

Investments are made in dribs and drabsregrets Ms. Laflamme. Nearly 40,000 households are waiting for subsidized housing in Quebecshe points out.

The ministry indicates for its part that, since 2018, nearly 8,000 social and affordable housing units have been built or started.

He also adds that Minister Laforest wishes to table a bill to prevent the sale of NPOnon-profit organizations housing for other purposes, provide all municipalities with a right of first refusal and better protect senior tenants and modify clause F of leases.

This clause provides that the owner can increase the price of the rent without limits if the building was built less than 5 years ago.