Social housing building being demolished, highlighting maintenance issues

A social housing building in Montreal's NDG neighbourhood has been vacant since 2014 and is set for demolition over 10 years after major repairs were flagged and residents ordered to move out.

"To hear about units of a social housing that are there and not used is... it's heartbreaking," said Project Genesis executive director Gary Saxe.

A 2013 inspection found extensive problems at Habitations Chester, including mould.

The report forced residents from the building.

"That's 18 people, individuals and families who could have been saved from all of those problems we hear about with the housing crisis," said Saxe.

The property on Walkley Avenue belongs to Montreal's Municipal Housing Office (OMHM) and the corporation recently put out a call for tenders for experts to come up with plans for the building.

"We have to prioritize the buildings to be renovated according to available budgets, giving first priority to those that have an impact on the health or safety of tenants," said corporation spokesperson Valerie Rheme.

She said the money from the province was not there for the building.

Housing advocates criticized the provincial inaction.

"It has been this lack of funding that have created those insufficient funds to repair all the social housing and low income housing that need to be repaired," said FRAPRU (Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain) spokesperson Catherine Lussier.

Lussier said better planning is needed to repair and maintain existing social housing.

"Some stuff is going to be redone every 25 years or so and they are aware of this," she said.

The OMHM has had to close 21,000 housing units across Montreal and many of those require major work.

Human rights lawyer Pearl Eliadis said a lack of investment in social housing means a worse housing crisis.

"What the Quebec and municipal governments are doing is really forcing the private market -- forcing people who can't afford it, into the private market or into extremely long waiting lines," said Eliadis.

Saxe believes social housing is a long-term solution.

"They need to take this housing crisis much more seriously and provide the resources that are needed to maintain the buildings that already exist and to extend that by building more," he said.

In June, Montreal's auditor general revealed that around 1,500 OMHM units were vacant.