The housing crisis continues to plague the region. As July 1 approaches, many are experiencing the stress of not having a proper roof over their heads. A situation noted by the South Shore Housing Committee which says it is overwhelmed by the number of calls.
“The situation is not improving,” confirms Marco Monzon, general director of the South Shore Housing Committee. We are working, with the help of partners, to find emergency measures.”
At the same time, with such a tight deadline, there are few solutions. Mr. Monzon let it be known that in the past, it was possible to find last minute accommodation. But the situation has deteriorated over the years.
“We are talking about low vacancy rates everywhere,” he lets it be known. Around 1%. But what this figure doesn’t say is the price of these homes. It’s not necessarily what people have the capacity to pay.”
Earlier calls
The South Shore Housing Committee has deciphered that the situation is not improving since the calls from fearful people resonated earlier this year. They are also more numerous. “We compiled our statistics at the end of March and we noted 400 more calls than last year,” said the general director of the South Shore Housing Committee. For a total of 3200 in the last year. People tell us that there is not more housing available and that what remains is more expensive for low-income households.”
Other camps to plan?
The housing crisis exacerbates the phenomenon of homelessness. In Longueuil, the camps do not go unnoticed. “The trend is very serious, but homelessness is not just a question of housing,” explains Mr. Monzon. But the camps demonstrate that there is a worrying social issue.”
Already, his team could identify a typical profile of the vulnerable person to be housed. But in a precarious economic context, almost no one is spared. The middle class is also struggling to find housing.
The responsibility of cities
Last year, the Chantier territorial en logement social, a group that included the Comité logement Rive-Sud, contacted the municipalities of the MRC du Roussillon to invite them to be part of the solution to the housing crisis.
“We had a few meetings with elected officials,” notes Mr. Monzon. We will do relaunches soon, but I feel that there is much less enthusiasm. There are initiatives launched, but I have the impression that many cities do not know how to approach the situation.”
He also observed that certain cities seemed to want to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the phenomenon.
He believes that cities can protect the rental stock in order to avoid transformation into temporary Airbnb-type housing. “We must protect housing from market fluctuations,” he said. Cities must also have regulations on sanitation.”
He welcomes the bill to counter evictions, but he is sad to see that it does not go far enough to counter all the stratagems used by owners.
