Latest news with #housingadvocacy
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec moving day struggles highlight need for social housing, advocates say
A woman enters a building next to a sign advertising an apartment for rent on moving day in Montreal, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) About 2,000 people in Quebec still needed help finding housing on moving day, and advocates say affordable units are scarce. By July 2, that number was down to 1,902. The Société d'habitation du Québec said that of those, 406 are in temporary rehousing, 167 are in hotels and 239 are staying with relatives. 'It should also be noted that these households receiving more intensive support are not necessarily homeless, and even less so living on the streets,' the SHQ said in an email statement. 'All households requesting assistance are supported until a lasting solution to their situation is found. It is not too late to request assistance, as [housing assistance services] operate year-round.' The SHQ received 8,945 requests for housing assistance by July 1 in 2025, 51 per cent of the 17,374 total requests in 2024. Housing advocacy group the Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) says a lack of affordability is driving the housing crisis. According to Statistics Canada, asking rent in Montreal has risen by nearly 71 per cent since 2019. 'The median income for all tenants in Quebec was $48,400 at the time of the 2021 census. Nearly 373,000 tenant households in Quebec were already paying more than the standard 30 per cent of their income for housing,' said FRAPRU in a news release. 'It is the ability to pay of these households, which are increasingly being excluded from the private market, that should guide housing policies.' Many tenants who renewed their leases accepted rent hikes they can barely afford, said FRAPRU, as the average increase this year is at an all-time high of 5.9 per cent. 'The extent of the resulting poor housing conditions is still underestimated: domestic violence endured, life plans abandoned, etc. A tight budget jeopardizes the right to health and dignity,' said FRAPRU. CAQ policies criticized The advocacy group stresses that the solution lies in building more social housing, outside the speculative market. 'We can flood the market with new housing, but if it's not truly affordable right away, we won't solve anything,' said FRAPRU spokesperson Véronique Laflamme. She believes governments must set specific targets for the construction of social housing to double the number of units within 15 years. In 2024, the CHMC released a report showing that though Montreal's vacancy rate rose slightly, rents still increased and remained unaffordable for available units. 'As long as social housing does not represent a much larger share of the rental market, the crisis will continue. This is not inevitable: it is a political choice,' said Laflamme. FRAPRU deplores policy changes made under the Coalition Avenir Quebec government, including ending its social housing program in favour of an 'affordable' program (PHAQ) available to private developers. Recent changes to the program allow rents of up to 150 per cent of the median market rent for units built using public funds. The CAQ also passed legislation limiting lease transfers, which were used by tenants as a tool to maintain affordability, and advocates have criticized the Housing Minister's new formula to calculate rent hikes, saying it will allow even higher increases. FRAPRU highlighted that it's taking households receiving housing assistance are waiting longer to find a place, and the numbers around July 1 are just the tip of the iceberg as issues persist year-round. 'This illustrates the depth of the crisis: the scarcity of available housing combined with high prices is preventing thousands of tenants from finding permanent accommodation within an acceptable timeframe and under acceptable conditions,' said FRAPRU.
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Tenant group renews call for maximum heat bylaw as Ottawa braces for hot summer
A report from ACORN Canada shows that nearly half of low-income tenants lack AC as the summer heat sets in. CTV's Tyler Fleming reports. A report from ACORN Canada shows that nearly half of low-income tenants lack AC as the summer heat sets in. CTV's Tyler Fleming reports. As another scorching summer settles over the nation's capital, a tenant advocacy group is renewing its urge the city implements a maximum heat bylaw to protect tenants from unsafe indoor temperatures. A new report from ACORN found that in Ottawa, close to half of low-to-moderate income tenants lack air conditioning, largely due to affordability. Fifty-four per cent reported extreme heat as their top housing issue. ACORN is calling for a bylaw that caps indoor temperatures at 26 C, similar to minimum heat requirements in winter. The City of Ottawa currently mandates landlords maintain heating at 20 C during the day in colder months but has no regulation setting a maximum temperature during the summer. 'If the house has heating, it's important for wintertime, just as cooling should be in summertime,' said Ottawa ACORN member Hassan Youssouf. 'Climate change now is real. We see all the heat going up all over the world and it's very hard to live inside a house that's feeling like an oven.' Youssouf says the issue impacts tenant's health, sleep and ability to work. 'It causes a lot of health issues, a lot of productivity problems. If people cannot sleep at night, they can't go to work in the morning, or it gets them sick,' he said. 'There's a lot of elderly, and there's a lot of people who are sick with health issues, and they can't stand the heat.' On days when temperatures rise into the 30s, Youssouf notes indoor conditions can feel like 40 C or more. 'During the day maybe, you can go find somewhere with air conditioning... but at night, in the evening when everything is closed, there's no place to go,' said Youssouf. 'And if you can't sleep two or three nights, then it's going to be more health issues.' He says adding cooling units could ease pressure on the healthcare system by preventing heat-related illness. 'It's important for landlords to act and governments to give grants or maybe a loan to retrofit homes,' Youssouf adds. In a statement, the City of Ottawa says it recognizes the impact extreme temperatures can have, particularly for residents without adequate cooling. 'There is currently no bylaw that sets a maximum allowable indoor temperature during summer months,' writes Roger Chapman, Director of By-law and Regulatory Services. 'The City acknowledges that this may pose challenges for residents, particularly during extreme heat events.' While tenants can install air conditioning with landlord permission, the city says it continues to explore ways to better support residents during extreme weather. Residents living in unsafe conditions are encouraged to contact 3-1-1.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
‘Inhumane': North Melbourne public housing residents protest ahead of demolition
Selling off public housing is inhumane and tells war-fleeing refugees that Australia does not want them, a Melbourne housing advocate says. For a second day on Tuesday, residents and supporters tried to stop workers entering the public housing tower on Alfred St, North Melbourne. The public housing towers are slated for demolition, to be replaced with charity-owned community housing and 'affordable' apartments. Notable Melbourne housing advocate Jordan van den Lamb told NewsWire the process for getting residents out of Alfred St had been inhumane. The replacement public houses were too small for families, and the relocations on offer were away from residents' existing support networks, he said. On Tuesday, dozens of residents and supporters protested outside the housing towers, Mr van den Lamb said. 'They're not building any three-bedroom homes. This stuff is like 'we're going to demolish a three-bedroom home and replace it with three one-bedroom apartments. 'What message does that tell to someone who's got a large family and is fleeing war? … 'We don't care about you. We don't want you to live in public housing'.' Residents were unwilling to speak to NewsWire for fear of jeopardising their applications for a new home. The apartments at the new, redeveloped Alfred St site will be leased to the private sector for 40 years. Housing Minister Harriet Shing has criticised Greens politicians – who were at the protest on Monday – for spreading fear. 'No demolition works are scheduled while people are living in the towers,' she said in a statement to NewsWire. 'While we're getting on with delivering modern and accessible homes for people on the social housing register, the Greens continue to spend their time spreading misinformation and creating fear without offering actual solutions.' A notice issued on Friday informed residents that workers in high-vis and hazmat suits would be arriving during the week to 'carry out concrete investigations in empty apartments'. Four towers at the nearby Flemington Estate are also set to be demolished. Some residents of Flemington Estate and Alfred St towers have already left their homes, relocated to other public houses. A chorus of remaining residents want all relocations to be sorted before any preliminary works are done on the buildings. 'Commencing works while residents remain in their homes is premature, inappropriate, and deeply disrespectful,' a joint letter from tenants to Homes Victoria says. 'We are still living in this building. Regardless of how many residents remain, this is our home, not a construction site. 'The presence of workers in hazmat suits, disruptive noise, restricted access and diminished privacy in the name of redevelopment planning sends a clear message that the wellbeing and dignity of the remaining residents are being ignored.' Days before retiring from politics, then Premier Dan Andrews announced Melbourne's 44 public housing towers would be knocked down and redeveloped. The residents – numbering somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 – were not informed before Mr Andrews donned high-vis and made the announcement to the media. The plan is part of a massive 'urban renewal' push. The project has a deadline of 2051 and promises by the end the state will have 10 per cent more social houses. Social housing is an umbrella term for public housing and community housing. Public housing is state-owned and community houses are owned by not-for-profit organisations. The redevelopment scheme also includes 'affordable housing' – units capped at 90 per cent of market rent.
CBC
29-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
National report card praises P.E.I. for housing policy, while pointing out some low points
A nationwide report card by the Missing Middle Initiative gives P.E.I. some favourable reviews for its overall approach to housing policy, while flagging some areas where the Island needs to do better — including banning new homes in flood-prone areas. CBC's Cody MacKay spoke to the group's founding director to learn more.
