Mobilization to demand the renovation of HLM

The HLM park in Quebec is deteriorating at high speed, but the sums that should have been used to renovate dilapidated social housing are instead diverted by the government of François Legault to finance new projects, denounce the defense groups of HLM tenants.

More than 40% of the 65,000 low-cost housing units in the province are rated D or E, that is to say that they need major work, underline the Federation of tenants of low-cost housing in Quebec ( FLHLMQ) and the Residents’ Advisory Committee (RAC) of the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal.

The two organizations held a press conference on Monday in the Center-Sud district, in front of a barricaded HLM since 2019, which cannot be renovated for lack of funds.

“It’s indecent that low-income tenants are forced to live in unsanitary housing like this, which had to be barricaded because there was too much mold,” laments Patricia Viannay, community organizer at the FLHMQ.

As more and more housing becomes uninhabitable in aging HLMs, the government funding allocated to their rehabilitation continues to decline: it fell from an annual average of 352 million between 2015 and 2019, to 281 million per year between 2019 and 2022, according to the FLHMQ.

However, in October 2020, following the signing of the Canada-Quebec housing agreement, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, announced that 2.2 billion would be used to renovate HLMs until 2028.

But this money was rather used, in good part, to finance new units, affirms the FLHMQ after having peeled the annual reports of the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ): 275 million went to the AccèsLogis program for the construction of housing and only 49 million were actually used to renovate HLMs.

” It’s scandalous ! How could the government use HLM money for anything else? “, gets carried away Robert Pilon, coordinator of the FLHMQ.

“Maybe it’s more glamorous to cut a ribbon for a new project, but people who live in D- and E-rated accommodation have had funds stolen from them that were supposed to be used to improve their conditions,” Ms.^me Viannay.

400 million per year

His organization is asking the Minister of Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, for a renovation program for HLMs of 400 million per year, for the next five years, including 200 million for the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM). .

In Montreal, 75% of the 21,000 low-rental housing units are rated D or E. The OMHM estimates its needs at 955 million over the next five years, to avoid having to barricade other buildings, such as dozens whose access is already prohibited.

The longer the renovations are delayed, the more expensive they are, point out the groups which defend the tenants of HLM. For the building on rue Dufresne where the press conference took place, the work was estimated at $271,000 in 2020, but is now valued at $438,000.

“Through its inaction, this government is jeopardizing an extremely large rental stock that has taken decades to build,” denounces Québec solidaire MP Andrés Fontecilla, who participated in the press conference as spokesperson. of his party on housing. “He no longer believes in social housing, he prefers to put all his money for private developers who supposedly will build accessible housing. »

MNA Virginie Dufour, of the Liberal Party of Quebec, stressed that it was “worrying” to see the government thus abandoning the financing of social housing, which should be considered as an investment, according to her.

“The CAQ brags about making gains at the federal level, but it’s time for it to use the amounts received in the right place,” noted Parti Québécois spokesperson Méganne Perry Mélançon.

In the office of Minister Duranceau, it is promised that the 2.2 billion provided for in the Canada-Quebec agreement will be entirely used by 2028 for the renovation of the HLM stock.

“It is true that sums have been temporarily allocated to the AccèsLogis program, but only for the purpose of not losing federal funding while waiting for the launch of a program dedicated to the renovation of low-income housing, which was a requirement of the agreement . This program will shortly be presented to the government for authorization,” said the minister’s press attaché, Philippe Couture, in a response sent in writing.

“Funds from this agreement have so far been committed to the AccèsLogis Québec and AccèsLogis Montréal programs in order to house as many households as possible. »