A few days from 1is July, the City of Montreal expects to have to untie its purse strings to accommodate households who will lose their homes without having found a new roof.
Posted at 3:53 p.m.
The Montreal Municipal Housing Office (OMHM), which has the mandate to support tenants in their apartment search, is currently supporting 250 households, compared to 120 last year at the same date, revealed Mayor Valérie Plante, Wednesday, at a press briefing.
“This is a stressful time for many people due to the housing crisis,” said Ms.me Plante.
Currently, 17 households who lost their apartment are housed in the hotel under the OMHM emergency accommodation program. But this number risks exploding on the 1stis July, as several leases expire.
Benoit Dorais, elected responsible for housing on the executive committee, recalled that the City had increased funding for emergency accommodation to 3.5 million this year. In 2023, the costs amounted to 2.95 million.
“If it costs more, we will pay the bill. We also expect to have to pay more,” said Mr. Dorais, who is also mayor of the South-West borough.
Camps tolerated only for demonstrators
Asked about the proliferation of camps set up by homeless people, in a context where shelters are overflowing, Mayor Plante reiterated that the City does not tolerate them and that they will be dismantled.
Why, then, tolerate demonstrator camps in a public place, like that of Victoria Square? “People who campaign for a specific cause don’t intend to stay there long term,” she replied. The demonstrators generally have accommodation where they can return to eat and take a shower. But we cannot let people live on the street without running water and toilets. »
More social housing
Mme Plante reiterated his demands for an increase in government funding for social housing, affirming that the City of Montreal was making its contribution by purchasing land and buildings that could be used for such projects.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Valérie Plante reiterated her demands for an increase in government funding for social housing.
A coalition of community organizations, which held a press conference Tuesday morning, agrees with this request and goes even further: the share of social housing in the real estate stock should be doubled over the next 15 years so that it reaches 20%. “It’s realistic, we should build 10,000 social housing units per year,” underlines Stéphanie Barahona, of the Popular Action Front in Urban Redevelopment (FRAPRU), who pleads for a “socialization” of the real estate stock.
Citing data from the latest census, Mme Barahona points out that 128,000 Quebec tenant households spend more than half of their income on their housing, which places them in a very precarious situation.
The members of this coalition are also concerned about the link made between immigration and the housing crisis, which could lead decision-makers to choose bad solutions.
“It’s easy to blame immigration, but the city of Shawinigan is one of the least multi-ethnic in Canada and the housing crisis is still wreaking havoc there,” notes Mostafa Henaway, community organizer at the Immigrant Workers Center.
The group also fears the possible election of conservatives at the head of the country, stressing that Pierre Poilievre’s speech in favor of a greater place for private enterprise in real estate and less intervention by the State could result in by a catastrophe for the most deprived.
In the meantime, organizations helping the homeless are expecting an influx of customers after the 1is July. “Already, we see around 10 new faces every week,” says Maggie Chittspatio, community worker at Résilience Montréal. “For these people, we are the last resort. »
