Several hundred people are still without housing as the 1st approachesis July, a number which could however be below reality.
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“What we have to understand is that there are a lot of people who are not supported because they still have housing on July 1,” explained Cédric Dussault, who represents the Housing Committees and Associations of tenants of Quebec, in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
In Montreal alone, more than a hundred people have still not found a roof over their heads. However, these figures could be revised upwards once the moving season is over.
Emergency services to the rescue
Certain emergency services are there to support homeless tenants in Montreal, just like other cities in the province.
“There are people who will be able to be accommodated by emergency services, either in Montreal or in different cities in Quebec. There are people who will be in the hotel and who will be accommodated by these services,” continued Mr. Dussault.
However, some people will not be able to be accompanied because they have left their accommodation voluntarily.
“It’s very unfortunate because, in the current context, there are very, very few people, if any [du tout] who leave their accommodation voluntarily without a very important reason, whether it is because they live in absolutely indecent and unsanitary conditions or whether it is due to harassment on the part of their landlord,” he continued.
Mr. Dussault believes that these people should still be supported, because they risk finding themselves on the street very soon.
“People, if they find themselves without housing in the 1is July, it’s not by choice,” he argued.
Furthermore, there would be no typical portrait of the tenant without housing at 1is July.
“It could be anyone. From the moment we are evicted from housing, we are at high risk of ending up on the street. In some areas, it’s not even a question of income. There are people who have fairly high incomes, but the availability in certain regions is almost zero,” he said.
The impact of platforms like Airbnb is particularly to blame, according to Mr. Dussault.
“In other cases, it will be people who have an income and a job, sometimes it is a household which has two full-time incomes, which cannot find housing,” he said. added.
Many people have found housing, but the rent is so high that they have to spend too much of their income on it.
