(Quebec) Less than half of the affordable housing for vulnerable clienteles promised by the Legault and Trudeau governments in 2021 is being built. Only three projects are “100% complete”. But the two governments go one better and promise 1,452 more in 2022.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
In January 2021, the Legault and Trudeau governments announced an agreement on the Rapid Housing Initiative, a program jointly piloted by the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC ). “In total, 1,491 dwellings can be inhabited by the spring of 2022,” said Minister Andrée Laforest at the time.
However, there is sand in the gears. Only 540 homes are currently “under construction”, and only three projects are 100% complete.
“Circumstances that we know of, such as the scarcity of materials, may impact how some of them play out. The objective of delivering this social and affordable housing quickly remains,” explains Bénédicte Trottier Lavoie, press secretary to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Andrée Laforest, in a written communication.
In the coming months, we are confident that other organizations will be able to make these new units available. Financial resources are there. The process for the other projects has well and truly begun.
Bénédicte Trottier Lavoie, press secretary to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Andrée Laforest
A phase 2 faster than the first
Although phase 1 of the rapid housing creation program is progressing more slowly than expected, Ottawa and Quebec announced a second phase on Tuesday. They promise to build 1,458 social and affordable housing “by the end of 2022” thanks to an investment of “nearly 338 million”.
The press release specifies that “all funds” must be committed “as quickly as possible so that the units are available within 12 months of the conclusion of the agreements”.
These affordable housing units are intended for underprivileged clienteles or those with special needs, in particular “women and children who are victims of domestic or family violence, seniors, Aboriginal populations, people struggling with mental health or addiction problems, homeless people or people at risk of becoming homeless and people with disabilities”.
The Quebec government “also undertakes to fund rent supplements for certain projects. Thanks to this assistance, eligible tenants will pay only 25% of their income for housing,” assistance that could total $128 million.