Housing crisis | Community aid at the end of its tether

The housing shortage affecting Quebec is far from being a strictly Montreal problem, quite the contrary. Each region has its own challenges and realities. The Press examines the case of three cities where the situation is particularly critical. Today: Joliette.

Elise Fiola
The Press

(Joliette) For weeks, the telephones of community organizations in Joliette have been ringing nonstop. Residents who fear ending up on the street on 1^er July now number in the dozens.

With a vacancy rate of 0.5%, the municipality is one of the hardest hit by the housing crisis in the province. This figure was 4.3% in 2017. The fall was brutal. “In concrete terms, it would take us perhaps 100 housing doors for the 1^er July of this year,” says Marie-Ève ​​Ducharme, executive director of the Association for young people on rue de Joliette.

“Every day, our team of workers receives calls from people looking for housing,” she says.

Coveted for its access to health and post-secondary education services, Joliette welcomes students and seniors from neighboring regions. The rise in popularity of telework has also contributed to the exodus of Montrealers to the regions, notes Pierre-Luc Bellerose, mayor of the city.

“We really have a big challenge. There are several projects that are addressed by the city council in this sense, ”he assures. Mr. Bellerose points out, among other things, construction projects that could allow the creation of 2,000 housing units over the next 10 years.

An overwhelmed support network

Despite the efforts of the municipality, the problem remains evident for the moment.

According to calls received by the Office municipal d’habitation de Joliette (OMHJ), 78 households will have to leave their homes at 1^er July in the MRC. “Demand exceeds capacity,” observes the general manager of the OMHJ, Michel Savignac. Of the 427 housing units owned by the Office, none are currently available and the waiting list stands at around 200 applications.

“We are trying to see with hotels and certain owners in the private sector who might be willing to take on tenants,” says Renaud Strasbourg, from the OMHJ’s aid service. So far, unfortunately, he hasn’t had much success.

Among the reasons that explain why tenants are evicted, several mention repossessions by landlords to make renovations or because the tenant did not have the capacity to pay his rent, according to Renaud Strasbourg.

Overpriced rents

The rise in prices is one of the major issues that worries Amélie Pelland, of Action-Logement Lanaudière. From January to May, the community organization for the individual and collective defense of rights calculates that 48 households have been the subject of an abusive rent increase in the MRC.

M^me Pelland notes that the fear of losing their housing is growing among tenants. “People are so afraid that they are ready to accept living in appalling conditions. We have people who do not have access to drinking water. They dare not complain for fear of being intimidated by the owner. »

“Elderly people, single people, families find themselves on the street, remain in their vehicle or are taken over by relatives, for those who are lucky”, she notes again.

Kathleen Marcil is in this situation. This mother of a 21-month-old baby, divorced at the start of the year, finds herself unable to pay rent in Joliette. She had to go back to live with her mother in Mauricie. “Rent prices are skyrocketing. I had to leave my friends, my family to completely change regions so as not to end up on the street with my daughter. »

Clear and repeated requests

To allow tenants to get out of it, Amélie Pelland implores the government to act. “Current laws are not sufficient to protect tenants,” she argues.

In particular, it calls for the establishment of a rent register as well as the abolition of section F of the leases, which allows the owners of a new building to increase the prices without constraint in the first five years. “Failing to obtain the abolition, we ask to have a bill that allows to challenge the increase”, she specifies.

The creation of social housing should also be at the heart of the solutions, believes the MP for Joliette, Véronique Hivon. “To have an offer that makes sense, we need to create more social housing. If the government had set to work when it took office four years ago, we would see the thousands of units that are needed. »

“Organizations find themselves with a lot of weight on their shoulders,” continues Ms.^me Hivon. I think there should be much more help from the government for smaller municipalities like ours that don’t have all the infrastructure of big cities. »

It should also be noted that the Quebec government announced on Wednesday the construction of 3,000 affordable housing units over the next five years. The MNA for Joliette fears that this new program will mainly benefit the big cities of the province.