Year after year, many households find themselves without housing on 1er July. The duty provided an overview of the resources available to tenants who fear being left behind during the big moving waltz.
Municipal housing offices
To start, “if you are in Montreal, dial 311. This is the reference service of the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal,” says Véronique Laflamme, spokesperson for the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU). The City of Montreal offers several emergency measures, including help finding housing and emergency shelter. It can also refer to other services if necessary.
Elsewhere in Quebec, tenants can turn to the housing search assistance service (SARL) offered by their municipal housing office (OMH). SARLs offer personalized support, including housing search assistance tools and, in some cases, the possibility of being accompanied during apartment visits. The level of support offered is determined according to the household’s situation.
There are 43 of these help services in the province, specifies the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) in an email to Duty. They can be found using an interactive map on the SHQ website. According to the Crown corporation, as of June 28, 2024, SARLs have processed 9,120 requests since the beginning of the year. Of these, 2,760 are still active.
“If there is no SARL in their region, citizens can contact their municipality or the housing office in their area for help. Housing offices that have not created an SARL have been mandated by the SHQ to meet the needs of citizens in difficulty,” according to the SHQ.
The Quebec Housing Corporation
“If people do not feel like they are being helped after contacting the help service, we invite them to contact directly […] the Quebec Housing Corporation at 1-800-463-4315,” continues Mr.me The flame.
The customer relations center “will be open 7 days a week from June 15 to July 14 [et] It will be in operation on the 1ster July,” indicates the SHQ.
The organization adds that “services aimed at helping households in difficulty with their rehousing are now offered year-round.” After July 14, the call center will only be open Monday through Friday.
FRAPRU and housing committees
If tenants still have questions, “do not hesitate to contact FRAPRU [au 514-522-1010], insists Véronique Laflamme. If we realize that people are falling through the cracks, we will help them get adequate support.” She notes, for example, that households may be unaware of the existence of certain last resort resources in their area, such as emergency accommodation.
Citizens can also contact their neighborhood housing committee, but many will be closed during the weekend, specifies M.me Laflamme. These committees provide, among other things, information to tenants about their housing rights.
The Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec has put an interactive map online to find the housing committee closest to you.
TALs listening on June 30 and 1er July
The Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL) announced Friday that it will respond to tenants’ requests for information on June 30 and June 1er July since “situations requiring rapid responses may arise during this busy period” which gives rise to numerous moves each year.
Paralegals will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In Montreal, Laval and Longueuil, citizens should call 514-873-2245. Residents of other regions should call 1-800-683-2245. However, the TAL offices will remain closed during the holiday and will open at usual hours from July 2.
The TAL reminds us that “the right of a new tenant to occupy the premises begins on the first day of the lease. The former tenant does not have any “grace day” to vacate the premises and remove his belongings from the accommodation. He has the obligation to return the accommodation to the condition in which he received it.”