While the housing crisis in Quebec continues unabated, Lévis, although not spared, finds itself in a “less critical” situation, despite the current low vacancy rate in the region.
“What I can say right now is that out of all the requests we had for July 1, as of today, we only have one request left to process and find housing for this person. We are also very optimistic that we will find housing for him soon with the collaboration of the Service d’aide à la recherche de logement (SARL) de Lévis,” said Gérard Truchon, general manager of the Office municipal d’habitation (OMH) de Lévis, during an interview that took place on June 26.
According to the latter, Lévis is no exception to the rule experienced by other cities in Quebec, as requests to find housing there have also increased.
“I know that there are some cities where demand is close to the capacity of housing available on the market. As for Lévis, we are very positive, we have a good placement rate. We have an increase like all the other cities in Quebec, but the turnover of our available housing this year has been aligned with the stars to meet demand,” explained Gérard Truchon.
A fear for the future
Also called upon to comment on the situation during an interview that also took place on June 26, Espace Finances also notes the increase in requests. According to Édith St-Hilaire, the director of Espace Finances, the increase in the cost of housing, motivated in particular by the low vacancy rate, represents “a hard blow to the crisis.”
“Last year, it was just one person who had problems on July 1 that forced us to take special measures. Currently, there are four people in emergency code for July 1. Even though we know that in Lévis the situation may not be that bad, the fact remains that, compared to last year, we can already see an increase. Since April, we have still had 31 requests for assistance in finding housing. Of the 31, 25 are from single people. We also notice that housing for these people, such as studios and 2 ½, is very rare. Looking at the current situation, we can be concerned about the years to come. We must not sit back and do nothing, telling ourselves that we are doing well, we must continue to develop housing,” said Édith St-Hilaire.
The solutions
Moreover, the director does not hesitate to say that Lévis must continue the construction of social and affordable housing on its territory.
“We talk a lot about affordable housing, but we should talk more about community and social housing with prices more adapted to vulnerable clients. We see a difference with low-rent housing (HLM) buildings, but it’s not enough. In some municipalities, we see constructions that require certain social and community housing to be located there, so that could be a solution here,” mentioned Édith St-Hilaire.
For his part, Gérard Truchon believes that Lévis must anticipate population growth in the coming years in order to “better meet needs.” Remember that the population in Lévis will approach 185,000 people around 2030, according to Lévis Mayor Gilles Lehouillier.
“There are several statistics that demonstrate the increase in the population, so based on future statistics, we could perhaps make an assessment of the number of rentals that should be available so that we can respond to future demographics. A demographic assessment combined with a real estate assessment would allow us to have a better profile for the future,” concluded Gérard Truchon.
