No more maximum income threshold for low-income housing in Quebec
The Quebec government says it is lifting the maximum income threshold for low-income housing (HLM), in the hopes of allowing housing offices to offer vacant spaces to a wider clientele if there is no waitlist.
Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Andrée Laforest says she believes that relaxing the eligibility criteria for low-cost housing will allow more seniors, families and single people to benefit from less expensive accommodation.
Households living in HLMs currently pay rent that is equal to 25 per cent of their income.
The objective of the new measure is to encourage optimal occupancy of social housing units that have been vacant for more than two years in certain municipalities by allocating them to people whose income exceeds the actual threshold.
Quebecers on a waitlist for social housing in one community will be allowed to apply for a home in another municipality where there are vacant units and no waitlist.
Last May, the government announced the maximum income threshold for HLM eligibility would increase from $21,000 to $27,000.
Laforest says she believes lifting the threshold altogether will provide flexibility that will benefit smaller municipalities with vacant spaces.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 26, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec ready to vaccinate against monkeypox as soon as Friday, with 25 confirmed cases
Quebec is ready to vaccinate people who have come into close contact with monkeypox as soon as Friday.

Tens of thousands in southern Ontario still without power after deadly storm
Tens of thousands of Ontario residents are facing another day without power as restoration efforts continue following last weekend's vicious storm.
'Horrifying' conspiracy theories swirl around Texas shooting
By now it's as predictable as the calls for thoughts and prayers: A mass shooting leaves many dead, and wild conspiracy theories and misinformation about the carnage soon follow. Within hours of Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, another rash began as internet users spread baseless claims about the man named as the gunman and his possible motives.
Four notable moments from the French Conservative leadership debate
Conservative Party of Canada leadership hopefuls Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis, and Pierre Poilievre squared off in the second official party debate on Wednesday night in Laval, Que.
Canada-Iran soccer friendly at Vancouver's BC Place cancelled
Canada Soccer has cancelled a planned friendly with Iran in the face of growing criticism.
UPDATED | Mass shooting inquiry hears from senior Mountie granted special accommodation
The inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia is hearing today from a retired senior Mountie who has been granted special accommodations to ensure he is not re-traumatized by having to relive the tragic, 13-hour event.
New mothers' hallucinations and paranoia: Postpartum psychosis signs, symptoms and treatment
Patricia Tomasi, the co-founder of the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative, is raising awareness on postpartum psychosis and how new moms can find support.
U.S. states divided on gun control, even as mass shootings rise
Gun control measures are likely going nowhere in U.S. Congress, and they also have become increasingly scarce in most states. Aside from several Democratic-controlled states, the majority have taken no action on gun control in recent years or have moved aggressively to expand gun rights.
11 newborns die in fire at Senegal hospital
Eleven newborn babies have died after a fire that broke out in the neonatal department at the Mame Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh Hospital in the western Senegalese city of Tivaouane, said the country's president Macky Sall on Thursday.