More than 490 households were without a lease in Quebec the day after July 1, including 115 in Montreal, according to estimates by the Popular Action Front in Urban Redevelopment (FRAPRU), which took stock of the move on Tuesday. But those numbers only represent the tip of the iceberg, as many renters are forced to camp or stay in cars or hotels, the organization warns.
A few days before July 1, nearly 700 households had not found a home, but that number has fallen to 494, FRAPRU said on Tuesday. Accompanied by Quebec-funded relief services in several cities, they have been able to sign a lease in recent days.
But this data doesn’t take into account households that have been experiencing more or less hidden homelessness for months, Véronique Laflamme, FRAPRU spokeswoman, said on Tuesday. “What we have seen over the past two years is that the situation continues well beyond July 1st. Ten years ago these households’ difficulties didn’t last two or three months. »
The real estate crisis is raging in several regions of Quebec. In Drummondville, Granby and Rimouski, for example, it is the shortage of available housing that makes things difficult for renters. In Montreal, where the vacancy rate is 2.2%, high home prices are more likely to cause the problem.
FRAPRU is calling on the Quebec government to accelerate public housing construction and adopt a housing policy without waiting for the next budget. The organization is also asking Quebec to amend its Bill 31 to remove the provision allowing landlords to refuse lease assignments and remove Section G from leases.
More details to come.