Less than 1 weekany In July, housing, homelessness and mental health organizations issued a wake-up call to the Quebec government. With the extent of the housing crisis exhausted, organizations are calling for the formation of a government committee for housing.
“We are putting a band-aid on the bleeding. “In the current situation, there is no light at the end of the tunnel in the short, medium or long term for people experiencing homelessness,” Cédric Dussault, spokesman for the Quebec group of housing commissions and tenant associations, said during a news conference. Conference Tuesday.
Last year, on the day after July 1, the organizations did not calm down. Tenants who fear they will end up on the street call their phone line year-round. Organizations fear that this year will be worse. “Finding yourself on the street can happen in one day, but getting out can take years,” explained Anne-Marie Boucher, co-coordinator of the Alternative Mental Health Resource Association of Quebec.
PAS de la rue has also noticed an increase in demand. The organization has provided 40% more meals this year. This time last year, it was receiving an average of 63 people per day. Today the number is closer to 89.
The same story with the Mont-Royal Plateau Housing Committee. Renters who have lost their housing struggle to find affordable housing not only in the borough, but also in Montreal, when they move away from major centres.
At the Oasis de Lotbinière, the crisis has reached such a point that the organization has recommended people for affordable or emergency housing in Quebec and Lévis. After leaving their environment, these people lose their social safety net. “It's tiring and exhausting to have to do magic tricks when you don't have a magic wand to provide social or affordable housing to people on low incomes,” testified Edith Lambert, the organisation's director general.
All organizations reported teams at the end of their rope. “Since Thanksgiving, we've been running a sprint and […] “We don’t see any possibility to stop and take a break,” said Céline Duclab, coordinator of PAS de la rue.
Resources are overflowing and funding is insufficient, according to organizations. While staff are being reduced, the mission remains the same. “We are exhausted because we are doing a five-to-three job. We cannot always ask our teams to move forward,” concluded Roslyn Hébert-Morin, from the Housing Committee of Plateau-Mont-Royal.
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