An empty motel on a highway on Montreal's South Shore is going to be converted into community housing for those experiencing homelessness in both the municipalities and the Indigenous community in the area.
The Motel le Rustik in Chateauguay is being converted into 31 social housing units, five of which will be reserved for members of the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake.
“We are pleased to take part in this concerted project which is finding innovative ways to partially respond to the tight rental market, while strengthening our relationship with our neighbours, important priorities for our community,” said Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Chief Tonya Perron.
The regional housing advocacy group FROHM (Fédération régionale des OSBL d' habitation de la Montérégie et de l'Estrie) purchased the property thanks to a $6 million investment under a joint Canada and Quebec agreement to create social housing by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Quebec housing society (SHQ).
FROHME took possession of the building on March 31 and with renovations, the project is projected to cost $5,982,544 and tenants should be able to move in by the end of 2022.
"This transformation and the renovation of the building will breathe a certain dynamism into this sector of the city, which is a bit moribund, we must say, and will promote a new social mix,” said FROHME director Martin Bécotte.
Tenants may also be able to access SHQ rent-supplement funding.
The agreement between Ottawa and Quebec City was announced Feb. 22 and provides around $338 million to construct 1,458 social and affordable housing units by the end of the year.
“When I was a social worker, I was able to see the difference that this type of resource can make in the lives of people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless," said Liberal MP for Chateauguay-Lacolle Brenda Shanahan. "I am particularly happy that this promising and innovative project is seeing the light of day with us and in partnership with the Kahnawake community."
