MONTREAL -- One year after experiencing its worst housing crisis in 15 years, Quebec is heading towards an even more catastrophic July 1. The emergency lists of households that have not found a new roof are already longer than last year and the current COVID-19 pandemic could aggravate the problem during the summer.

According to data collected by the Front d'action populaire en reamenagement urbain (FRAPRU), the number of emergency assistance requests sent to the City of Montreal has doubled compared to the same date in 2019. In Quebec, the list is four times longer than last year.

“The situation is very worrying,” observed FRAPRU spokesperson Véronique Laflamme. “Now we have to see what impact the measures announced this week will have.”

On Thursday, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Andrée Laforest announced three assistance measures totalling around $71.5 million.

First, 1,800 households will be able to obtain support from the emergency rent supplement. This program makes up the difference between monthly housing prices and tenants’ ability to pay.

The other means Quebec deployed consists of financially supporting the cities, which will have to offer emergency lodging to households, which will find themselves on the streets on July 1st.

Also, the province will grant interest-free loans, payable in August 2021, to a maximum equivalent to two months' rent for tenants who find themselves defaulting on rent payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FRAPRU reminds, however, that despite the provisions households still need to be able to sign a lease by the first of July. Complicating the situation is the very low vacancy rate for rental units in several cities in Quebec.

“In most cities in Quebec, the vacancy rate has plummeted, so the housing shortage is worse than last year,” said Laflamme, adding that “the emergency supplement cannot create housing that does not exist.”

In addition, many families are unable to relocate from their city or neighbourhood. These people seek short moves, in particular ones that do not move them away from schools or even workplaces when means of transport are limited.

Last year, nearly 200 households were homeless on July 1.

THE COVID-19 EFFECT

If the emergency request lists are already long, they are expected to stretch further over the next few days. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for help appear to have arrived earlier, but the sense of urgency generally leads to an increase in requests the closer we get to July 1st.

In addition, confinement aimed at limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus has greatly limited the possibility of visiting potential new living spaces.

“In the greater Montreal region and also in Joliette, where there is a fairly low vacancy rate and a high percentage of tenants, people have lost a month to visit housing,” said Laflamme.

Normally, the peak period for housing visits is in the months of March and April, precisely when all of Quebec was put on pause to fight the pandemic.

“Many households do not have access to the Internet, to smartphones, or to make virtual visits, and virtual tours have their limits. You can’t see mold in virtual tours,” said Laflamme.

Tenants who have not been able to conduct a successful search virtually will therefore have to be satisfied with the remains of the market, that is to say units at very high cost or units in poor even unhealthy condition.

PROTEST WEEK

In order to make the population and elected officials aware of the seriousness of the housing crisis that Quebec is going through, FRAPRU and several partner organizations will hold a week of protests.

The first event was Saturday in Montreal in Parc-Extension. A caravan of bikes and cars will snake through the neighbourhood to promote the cause.

Other activities are planned during the week in the metropolis, but also in Quebec City, Rimouski, Longueuil and Sherbrooke. The whole thing will culminate in a rally in front of the CAQ offices on Thursday morning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2020.