University student-led project rounds up solutions to Montreal housing crisis

Homeless encampments across Montreal have become a common sight: a sign of the entrenched housing crisis the city is experiencing.

Shelters say they are seeing a whole new clientele.

“It’s sad to see people coming in there when they’re very well-dressed and they had a job, they had a home,” said Maggie Chittspattio, a program co-ordinator at the Resilience Montreal shelter. “They’ve been living 20 years in an apartment and then they come out and they say, ‘I got kicked out because my landlord is increasing the rent and I can’t cover it.'”

In the face of the growing crisis, Seize, a Concordia University student-led project, surveyed 59 groups fighting for affordable housing across Canada and rounded up several solutions the groups believe should be implemented to improve the situation.

The main need is “a massive investment in social housing across Canada and specifically non-profit housing, whether that’s public housing or co-operatives,” said Dru Oja Jay, one of the study’s researchers.

Other measures include rent control policies and better regulations of short-term stay platforms such as Airbnb.

Those working with Indigenous people experiencing homelessness say more second-stage housing also needs to be built.

“Something that is permanent,” Chittspattio said.

The city agrees there is a problem.

Ahead of July 1, Quebec’s unofficial moving day, there are 254 requests for help to find housing, according to numbers by Montreal’s housing office (OHMH) — double last year’s total.

“Something is wrong,” Mayor Valérie Plante said. “The elderly shouldn’t be looking for a place to stay, even in shelters, we see many more elderly people, homeless people and to me this is a big fail.”

Plante insists the city is proactive on the matter, mandating developers to include social housing in new projects.

But last year, the vast majority of developers opted out, leading the city to update its bylaw.

Plante also admits access to Montreal’s existing affordable housing units needs to improve.

There’s a near six-year waiting list and 23,000 households are on it, according to a report released by Montreal’s auditor general last week.

“We need to do better,” Plante said.

Ottawa and Quebec recently announced $57.5 million in funding for emergency and transitional housing projects for people experiencing homelessness in Montreal.

But that money will trickle in over the next two years, while moving day is only a few days away.