A young 30-year-old from Quebec, who has waited seven years to access housing adapted to her disability, is happy to have a home to welcome her family for the first time this Christmas.
“This is a great premiere! This is something I could never have imagined before,” says Andréanne Gagnon, 33, proudly.
Because she has had cerebral palsy since birth, which affects her body movements and muscle coordination, she needs daily help getting up, getting dressed, going to the toilet and preparing meals.
Just over a year ago, she joined O'Drey Group, a new housing nonprofit in the capital that includes 40 units suitable for people with limited mobility.
Ms. Gagnon has a three-and-a-half-year office with support services available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Entertain yourself at home
On December 29th she will receive her extended family in a rented room on the same floor: around 45 people will be present, including her uncles, aunts and cousins.
His loved ones will help him cook in preparation for the party, which will be held in a “potluck” format.
“People will be able to see my home at the same time,” she enthuses, emphasizing that living alone in an apartment requires a fair amount of adjustment.
She explains that she applied in 2016 even though she was not ready, knowing that the waiting time for this type of accommodation could be 8 to 10 years.
She ended up waiting seven years, a delay that doesn't surprise André Castonguay, director general of the Réseau québécois of the OSBL d'habitation.
“It can take a very long time until subsidized housing is adapted to your own needs. “In recent years it has taken a long time before we were able to activate projects with the Accès Logis program,” he explains.
“Happy”
However, there is no centralized registry that would allow us to determine the average waiting time in the province.
One thing is certain, Ms. Gagnon was “lucky” because, in his opinion, the O'Drey project came to fruition at the right time.
“I preferred to decide what to do with myself, because sometimes life decides for us,” explains the latter.
She talks about her aging parents and the fear of ending up in a long-term care facility (CHSLD) due to a lack of other options.
A sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of many people on far too long waiting lists, says Linda Gauthier, advisor to the Regroupement des Activists pour l'inclusion du Québec.
“Waiting seven years makes no sense. […] The housing stock of adapted housing is extremely limited across Quebec. This applies even more outside the large centers,” she denounces.
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