Two weeks after the big move, the housing situation remains critical in Mauricie, where at least 15 households are still waiting for housing and three are supported by the Red Cross.
The situation is far from being resolved. “Just last week, we responded to 13 new requests, people who were staying with relatives and who had not yet asked for help,” said Jimmy Ducasse, director of the municipal office of dwelling in Trois-Rivières.
However, these figures do not represent the entire region.
“We don’t have the data for La Tuque, Shawinigan and Louiseville. We therefore believe that the situation is probably more problematic,” explained Claude Jalette, coordinator at InfoLogis Mauricie.
To better meet needs outside the Trois-Rivières urban perimeter, the organization is working to set up service points in other cities.
“We are looking to have a room in Shawinigan, this will be the first step,” she said.
The situation will remain critical for several more months, according to the new organization Escouade Itinérance, which works more in the MRC de Maskinongé.
“There are people who call us, they intend to leave or kick someone out, but they don’t know where they can end up. So they endure the situations and it can be dangerous. Added to this are the people who have rented accommodation beyond their budget to avoid being on the street, ”said the speaker Martin Fiset.
The lack of housing also has repercussions at Point de Rue in Trois-Rivières.
“The situation affects the whole community. We see that accessibility to properties, by people of the middle class, is increasingly difficult. This ensures that they stay in housing that is often more accessible, so it reduces the supply. For us, this is problematic. People come to see us, they need a place. We are there to make referrals and support to help them find an apartment, but there are no more. We therefore do not have the possibility of relocating them quickly,” added the coordinator of the organization, Jean-Félix St-Germain.