The Federation of Low-Rent Housing Tenants of Quebec (FLHLMQ) estimates that HLMs could accommodate 3,000 more people in Quebec if their residents were allowed to have roommates.
“We see this as part of the solution for housing people on the waiting list,” declared Patricia Viannay, one of the spokespersons for the federation during her appearance before the parliamentary committee on housing on Wednesday. in Quebec.
More than 37,500 tenant households were waiting for a place in low-rent housing on the latest version of the waiting list, made public in December 2021 by the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ).
“We estimate that the number of under-occupied housing units in the 30,000 units for families across Quebec is at least 10%,” writes the FLHLMQ in the brief it submitted.
Shared accommodation is currently prohibited in the HLM network under SHQ regulations, she deplores.
Already in accommodations that are too big
The FLHLMQ suggests that shared accommodation be offered on a voluntary basis for tenants. “Such a measure could be encouraged by a reduction in rent for those who agree to share their home in this way. »
This proposal came from the tenants themselves during a consultation of members of the federation, explained Mme Viannay.
It often happens, she says, that a parent stays alone in a 2, 3 or 4 bedroom apartment after their children leave without being able to offer them smaller accommodation due to lack of availability.
The Minister of Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, to whom the FLHLMQ submitted its proposal, did not indicate whether or not she planned to implement it.
The Federation of Low-Rent Housing Tenants of Quebec represents 65,673 low-income households living in low-cost housing in Quebec.
These HLMs built in the 1980s and 1990s with federal funding are, however, in poor condition.
More than 3,200 of its homes are currently vacant because they are waiting to be renovated, revealed The duty in July.
More details will follow.