In the complex but fundamental issue of housing, the solutions will not be unique or held by a single actor. It’s time to team up to find them.
One of my favorite things about my job is the time I spend with the community organizations in which we invest. For me, going to meet the weavers of our social quilt is more than an opportunity to learn: it’s downright an exercise in healing. I thus take the pulse of the actors, the population and the social issues of Greater Montreal.
It was these meetings that enabled me to come to the conclusion that I have already mentioned here: we must initiate vast work projects that will allow us to tackle the very causes of poverty. And these projects must start with conversations.
People often ask me what Centraide does, and my answer can be summed up in 11 words: unite and act for an inclusive Greater Montreal without poverty.
The seriousness of our approach and our analyzes in social development, the depth of the involvement of our volunteers, as well as the excellence of our communications and administrative processes have made Centraide a recognized and credible player for 50 years now.
The proximity approach that we have developed within neighborhoods and with community organizations, as well as the attention that we bring to the effects of poverty, is the cement of our organization. And that won’t change.
But over the past year, we have also wanted to put these strengths to work fighting the causes of poverty, not just its effects.
The Great Conversation
Thus, over the past 12 months, building on this credibility acquired over the years, we have paid particular attention to the issue of housing and activated what I call Centraide’s strategic and social lever of influence.
On many occasions, for example, we have taken a stand, publicly and informally, to defend the housing file. Like others, we have suggested that the government appoint a Minister of Housing; we brought together several actors to take stock of the current situation in terms of housing; etc.
Contacts with stakeholders in the housing sector – researchers, community organizations, public health, cities and governments – were very revealing and allowed us to take a new and critical look at the issue.
With a diverse working group, we identified, among other things, 115 brakes or possibilities on housing issues.
This process was the starting point for the Great Conversation on Housing, which will be held in Montreal on May 15 during the Agir ensemble pour le logement event.
It’s amazing how little data we actually have on this issue. And many of these are incomplete or outdated.
It seemed important to us to tackle this question, but by talking about the impact on households. Put faces on current issues, in other words, in order to better understand them. You will agree that it is easier to inspire by talking about humans than by listing statistics: it is first and foremost individuals who suffer from housing problems.
In addition, the Great Conversation is intended to be a step towards solutions that will not be unique or held by a single actor.
We must therefore first establish the facts. Solid, indisputable facts that will paint the true picture of the situation of households in Greater Montreal. We called on various specialists in the field and the figures say a lot about the extent of the needs, but the differences are difficult to grasp. The results will be announced on May 15. Among other things, they show us that the current rate of construction will not make it possible to make up for lost time and offer a solution in the short term or even in the medium term. The same reasoning applies to working in silos where everyone stays in their own corner.
Housing is a complex social issue and because of this, we will have to enter the world of “ands”. By looking for several different solutions, many actors will have to get to work with the sole interest of doing better, aiming higher, ensuring that we are progressing, with supporting indicators, beyond electoral horizons.
I often say that I prefer future possibilities to venting sessions about what went wrong in the past. Over the next few weeks, we will begin to lay the foundation for this essential collective mobilization.