Why so much community outrage following the provincial budget tabled last week? Simply because he refuses to let people like Stéphane* (and thousands of other Quebecers) down.
Stéphane spent two years on the street. His story might seem quite classic, a series of misfortunes that follow one another when he is just entering his forties and he is already in a fragile situation: chronic ailments, depression, separation, isolation. For the first few months, he slept in his car, sometimes with friends, but when winter came, he resigned himself and began to frequent the Old Brewery Mission’s lodging service.
After a few weeks, with sustained psychosocial support, he regained control and found hope. His mental health has stabilized, he feels sufficiently independent and wants to regain control of his life. He has been living in a dormitory without much privacy for too long already. He only wants one thing: to find a home.
A social assistance recipient with no temporary constraints on employment, Stéphane has a monthly income of $770 for food and housing, while the price of a studio in Montreal is around $900 per month. His only option is to turn to subsidized social housing, which would allow him to pay rent equivalent to 25% of his income, or $175.
Despite the glimmer of hope generated by 2,000 new PSL (Rent Supplement Program) housing units, the provincial government does not provide for any new subsidized social housing units to be created in its budget. It barely makes up for the lack of funding for units already involved in AccèsLogis and is now focusing everything on the development of affordable housing.
The nuance between affordable and social housing may seem minor, but it is not. Affordable housing rents are assessed against private market realities (for example, $768 for a studio is considered affordable by the program). Social housing sets the amount of rent according to people’s income (i.e. $175 for Stéphane).
By not imposing any social housing unit on project promoters, the government is only worsening the already more than critical situation for vulnerable people.
Moreover, by granting one-third of new affordable housing units to private developers rather than non-profit organizations, it puts at risk the creation of new adapted housing projects that offer community support to vulnerable people. Indeed, only community organizations have the expertise and the mission to support these people in their journey towards residential stability, beyond providing them with a roof.
The government risks turning its back not only on the housing crisis, but also on the growing number of people experiencing homelessness if it does not act otherwise. While we were all hoping to see some light at the end of the tunnel, it is rather a dark future that is emerging for social housing. But it’s never too late to do better.
