Affordable housing advocates say an alarming amount of Quebecers are paying more than 30 per cent of their income on rent. That’s just one finding revealed in a new report released by housing rights group FRAPRU.
They say paying more than 30 per cent of your salary in rent is a red line that should not be crossed, but one in four tenants are paying a disproportionate amount of their revenue on housing.
“You know, it is having consequences on all the other needs, like getting food, getting medicine,” explained FRAPRU community organizer Catherine Lussier.
FRAPRU released its eighth “Dossier Noir,” an analysis of Statistics Canada data.
They say renters who live alone are hard hit. Three out of four spend between 30 and 80 per cent of their earnings on rent.
Women, single parents, young people under 25 and seniors over 65 are among those suffering most from the housing crisis.
FRAPRU says 173,000 Quebecers have a core housing need.
What’s worse is that the report is based on 2020 data, when many were getting COVID-related financial assistance.
“These benefits were there just for a moment and they’re not applied anymore,” said Lussier.
The director of 03: On Our Own, which provides subsidized apartments to young parents and their children in NDG on a transitional basis, says it’s getting harder and harder for people to leave the program. They’re having a lot of trouble finding affordable apartments.
“We’re seeing more and more people who are choosing to move back in with a family member or who are going to 50 apartment visits just to try to find something affordable, or who are taking something that is really much more than they are able to afford,” said Amanda Murphy.
FRAPRU says money being pledged to affordable housing by the government is too often being used to support private construction projects instead of social housing.
“There’s not really money that has gone to support the tenants that are at low income or modest income,” she said.
FRAPRU said is it holding a protest in Ottawa on October 5th to remind the federal government to honour its promises to attack the affordable housing crisis.