Ousted in a few days | “I ask for a lot of help, but I don’t get any”

Hundreds of households are still looking for housing in Quebec, two weeks after the 1^er July. And others could well be added to the lot, like that of Michele Rock, who risks ending up on the street in a few days, without support from the emergency services of the City of Montreal.

Lila Dussault
The Press

“I feel desperate in there, abandoned, says Michele Rock on the phone. I ask for a lot of help, and I’m not saying that meanly, but I don’t have any. »

The 56-year-old lady lives in a dwelling in Tétreaultville, in the east of Montreal, with her spouse and their 23-year-old son. Recipients of last-resort financial assistance (social assistance), they recently lost their case in the administrative housing tribunal for non-payment of rent.

The family had to leave the premises no later than July 13, as evidenced by a letter from a bailiff that The Press was able to consult, but she negotiated an extension until July 20. And according to M^me Rock, none of the City of Montreal’s emergency services responded to his requests for help.

The family lives in a housing cooperative subsidized in part by the OMHM. This public body is notably responsible for supporting, on behalf of the City of Montreal, “vulnerable and low-income households who are homeless or about to be homeless and who have not found a housing solution, particularly in the context of an evacuation, a sanitation problem or a disaster,” according to the OMHM website.

leave no one behind

Certain criteria apply for the City of Montreal to help households in need: living on the island of Montreal for 12 months, having a modest income, having lost or about to lose their apartment, and being autonomous to live in housing.

“That being said, the most important objective remains to leave no one behind,” said Camille Bégin, public relations officer for the City of Montreal, by email. Files are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with kindness and flexibility. Exceptions may apply. »

The City of Montreal’s emergency services include support for relocation, as well as temporary accommodation and storage, adds Ms.^me Begin.

311 is normally the front door for assistance.

At the OMHM, Valérie Rhême, in charge of communications, affirms that there are certainly eligibility criteria for obtaining support from the Office. ” [Mais] normally, we don’t let people down who are about to end up on the street. »

In the meantime, Michele Rock is trying to box while caring for her husband – who is undergoing hemodialysis treatment and rides a scooter – and her son who has mental health issues. As a last resort, she decided to turn to the media.

“I don’t want to pick myself up in the street with my very sick spouse and with my guy who is not well,” she laments.

Hundreds of families still homeless

About 600 households were still accompanied by the emergency services of Quebec municipalities this week, according to Véronique Laflamme, spokesperson for the Popular Action Front in Urban Redevelopment (FRAPRU).

In Montreal, as of July 12, 37 households were temporarily housed, specifies Camille Bégin. A number that has almost quadrupled since June 29 when 10 households were accommodated. In addition, 132 families were accompanied by the City’s emergency services.

Units that are too expensive for the ability to pay low- or modest-income tenants, too small for families, or simply non-existent due to low vacancy rates: the problem “will not solve itself”, argues Ms.^me The flame.

And for families like that of Michele Rock, who have files for non-payment of rent, “it is particularly difficult”, adds the spokesperson.