The assistance offered by the Quebec government for July 1 will not meet the needs of a part of the population that is not sufficiently disadvantaged to have access to rent supplement programs, some groups deplore.
“In past years, a large number of tenants were unable to access [aux suppléments au loyer financés par le gouvernement]“, argued the Popular Action Front in Urban Redevelopment (FRAPRU) in a statement Thursday. Thus, only 15% of the 1,500 emergency rent supplements were awarded last year.
PSLs are government subsidies that limit the share of income that tenants devote to their accommodation to 25%.
To access it, you must be considered a low-income or “core need” person. However, the housing crisis also affects people who do not belong to this category, argues FRAPRU.
For example, a couple from Rimouski must have a maximum annual income of $25,000 if they wish to be eligible for a PSL. In Quebec, the bar is set at $31,000; in Montreal, at $32,500 (See a full list of caps by region here.)
“Tenants must meet different criteria and go through a selection process with their municipal housing office,” also deplored the Regroupement des committees logement et associations de tenants du Québec (RCLALQ).
“In listening mode”
These organizations were reacting to the announcement of the plan by the Minister responsible for Housing Andrée Laforest for July 1, a plan for which the majority of the funds will be dedicated to the addition of emergency PSLs.
Asked by The duty on the absence of PSL for tenants who are too well off, the Minister’s office replied that these people should contact their housing office or the Société d’Habitation du Québec (SHQ). “Resources are there to support people in their search for them to find housing that meets their needs,” argued Minister Bénédicte Trottier-Lavoie’s press secretary. “Obviously, the financial assistance is framed, but we are in listening mode and especially in solution mode”, she added, stressing that in the “longer term”, the government continued to build social housing.