The City of Montreal says it is ready for Operation 1er July. Since the beginning of the year, some 314 households have requested assistance from the City, worried about not being able to find new accommodation. The Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) expects to have to provide emergency accommodation to some forty families.
Every year on the 1er July highlights the difficulties of households to find a roof. But the housing crisis and the growing unaffordability in terms of housing now extend to the year, underlined Thursday Benoit Dorais, responsible for housing on the executive committee of the City, while taking stock of the situation. the situation with Vincent Brossard, Director of Application Management, Affordable Housing and Rent Supplements at the OMHM.
Last year, the City of Montreal received a total of 900 requests for assistance and expects similar results this year.
Dial 311
Mr. Dorais, however, urges households not to wait for the 1er July before dialing 311 for assistance. “Unfortunately, there are still people who feel helpless and do not know that by calling 311 in Montreal, there will be a lot of people who will help them. »
With their partners, the City and the OMHM offer support in finding housing, temporary accommodation for the homeless and storage of goods for a maximum of three months. This year, the City has set aside $3.5 million for Operation 1er July.
If, since the beginning of 2023, the OMHM has identified 314 requests for assistance, their number reached 386 on the same date last year. Seven households currently benefit from accommodation. “We are in similar volumes to last year which, incidentally, was one of the record years in terms of needs. But we have an aggravation of the vulnerability of households, ”said Vincent Brossard.
The OMHM has reserved around 30 apartments to accommodate households that may need a roof on the 1er July. Mr. Brossard also launched an appeal to private landlords with vacant dwellings because several households could benefit from the Rent Supplement Program, he recalled.
The loss of a home can have dramatic consequences, believes the mayor of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Pierre Lessard-Blais, “When you lose your 4 ½ at $700 a year, it’s impossible to find one in the borough. Not only are you in a bad financial position, but you have to change neighborhoods and often even cities,” he said.
A program that is too restrictive
Benoit Dorais, however, deplores the rigidity of the Emergency Rent Supplement Program (PSL) which excludes households who, unable to pay their rent due to inflation and the high cost of their apartment, are evicted from their homes.
Like several organizations defending the rights of tenants, the City is calling on the government to relax the eligibility criteria for the emergency PSL. “These are people who are in great precariousness, but the Société d’habitation du Québec tells them that as they have stopped paying their rent, they have gotten themselves into trouble,” he said. . “We must not add precariousness to these people who are already living in extreme precariousness. »
“Montreal’s affordability is more threatened than ever. This should lead us to even more action,” continued Mr. Dorais, who, along with other housing stakeholders, signed a letter earlier this week to Prime Minister François Legault calling for “concrete and immediate actions. of the government to deal with the crisis.
The City also has some reservations about Bill 31 tabled last week by the Minister of Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, which will put an end to lease assignments. “If there are people who have to give up their lease to ensure that their housing remains affordable, that’s a symptom. We have to take care of it and [faire en sorte que les logements] remain affordable. According to him, however, Mme Duranceau is a minister who listens to the concerns of the housing community.