Last week’s presentation of the Legault government’s highly anticipated Quebec housing strategy provoked strong reactions in the social and community housing community, and rightly so.
Although some of the proposed measures show a commendable willingness to address the housing crisis, the homelessness sector remains hungry. This strategy, by focusing primarily on increasing the overall housing supply, including from the private sector, seriously lacks a long-term vision for social and community housing. It thus neglects a crucial dimension: affordability.
With this strategy, the government is focusing primarily on accelerating construction to address the housing shortage. This approach, which includes the use of prefabricated buildings, rapid mobilization of labor, and the easing of environmental, urban planning and heritage regulations, could effectively make it possible to build more housing in less time.
However, such a strategy focused on speed and quantity raises concerns. For example, the use of prefabricated buildings will represent many challenges for projects in the central districts of Montreal, where several projects for vulnerable clientele are being developed.
The easing of regulations could also level down the quality of urban and architectural development in Quebec. It is therefore crucial to be vigilant and adapt these solutions to urban realities and the needs of vulnerable populations.
Nevertheless, some new features of the strategy deserve to be welcomed. For example, the conversion of heritage buildings into housing could offer new opportunities, provided that these projects are truly accessible to low-income people. Similarly, the announcement of a new budget for soil decontamination is a necessary measure to make the redevelopment of sites in urban areas possible.
We must not forget that the housing crisis and the homelessness crisis we are experiencing today are closely linked. More and more households are finding themselves on the streets for economic reasons, unable to afford the rent increases that are piling up, or are victims of eviction, a phenomenon that is on the rise in Quebec, but particularly in the greater Montreal area.
Despite this important causal link, homelessness is surprisingly the great absentee from this new strategy, rather relegated to the Interministerial Action Plan on Homelessness 2021-2026.
Certainly, some initiatives are mentioned, such as the reservation of 500 housing units under the Quebec Affordable Housing Program and encouraging municipalities to exempt from taxes or sell buildings below their market value for housing or temporary accommodation. However, these measures, although positive, remain insufficient to respond to the scale of the crisis.
Needs
While we recognise the government’s desire to develop more housing and try to respond to the current crisis, we must also highlight the limitations of this strategy.
Is it necessary to recall that the current crisis is above all a crisis of affordability, much more than a simple question of supply? To remedy this, it is imperative that the government sets a clear target of 20% of non-market housing and strengthens support for social and community projects.
At the Old Brewery Mission, we have set ourselves the goal of doubling the housing stock we own in order to reach 500 housing units by 2028. Meanwhile, the government’s target remains 500 housing units for homelessness for all of Quebec…
Should we recall that, according to the latest statistics obtained in 2022, in Montreal alone, nearly 5,000 people sleep on the streets or in emergency shelters every night? We are now counting on the government to quickly release the necessary funds and accelerate the processes allowing the development of new projects.
It is becoming clear that the housing challenge cannot be met without a comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable approach. Let us hope that this strategy, although imperfect, will pave the way for solutions that are better adapted to the needs of all communities, especially the most vulnerable.