In the media – Project Genesis

Opinion: Quebec’s welfare reform bill is aiming at the wrong target

PG — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 19:12:00 +0000

Montreal Gazette – February 2, 2016

The purpose of Bill 70, “An Act to allow a better match between training and jobs and to facilitate labour market entry,” supposedly is to encourage welfare applicants to “escape the vicious cycle of poverty” by forcing them to look for work and to accept any job. The sad reality is that frequently the largest obstacle that welfare recipients confront when struggling to get back on their feet and into the job market is the welfare system itself. For example, far from encouraging welfare recipients to find work, the welfare system makes getting back to work an obstacle course. Agents frequently make mistakes when calculating how much money to deduct from someone’s benefit when they have work income. For those living so close to the edge, the smallest underpayment can have disastrous consequences, as welfare recipients simply do not have enough of a cushion to make up for any shortfall. They risk losing benefits by working. This is not paranoia; it is a real danger for someone who can already barely pay the rent.

Sam Hamad, then minister of Labour, presents a bill to the Quebec legislature, Tuesday Nov. 10, 2015. On Jan. 28, he became president of the Treasury Board. Dominique Vien is the new minister responsible for Labour. (CLEMENT ALLARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS )

Welfare recipients also often need to ask employers for assistance to comply with the welfare system’s incessant requests for documents. This means they have to come out of the closet to their employers, a situation that is heart-wrenching given the incredible stigma in our society toward people who need to rely on government assistance to survive. It is not uncommon for employers to terminate employment or to refuse to re-hire someone, as some employers would prefer not to have to deal with an employee on welfare, given the system’s insatiable need for documentation. To break out of this cycle of short-term, dead-end jobs, people need to be able upgrade their skills or retrain. Yet, professional courses are off-limits to welfare recipients. For example, many CEGEPs offer recertification programs for nursing assistants who have not worked recently. As welfare recipients are not allowed to be full-time students, they are not allowed to take these kinds of courses, making them completely inaccessible as they are also not covered by the loans and bursaries program. It is as though the government would prefer that welfare recipients stay mired in poverty. Emploi Quebec does offer some training programs and it is possible to get an exemption from an Emploi Quebec agent so as to be allowed to study. However, if an agent turns a recipient down for a program, there is no way to contest that decision, even though it may have been unreasonable. Even after completing a program, the vast majority of welfare recipients cannot find employment. This is not surprising as most welfare recipients are not out of work because of a personal failing, but because there are simply not enough jobs to go around. In 2014, Statistics Canada estimated that there were 43,000 open positions in Quebec, for 332,000 unemployed people in Quebec. It is naive to believe that in the current job market it is easy to find work without extensive networking. The current welfare system keeps people in such extreme poverty that they lose contact with their former friends and colleagues. This kind of isolation is a recipe for being stuck in the system for the long term. How are you supposed to find a job when you can’t even afford a bus ticket to get to the interview? The fact that the government refuses to address these well-known issues in the welfare system that lead to chronic unemployment leads to serious doubt about its intentions. Is the purpose of Bill 70, which is currently the subject of hearings before a committee of the National Assembly, truly to help welfare applicants find work? Or is it merely to create yet another justification for cutting someone’s welfare benefit? By making policy based on prejudice and myth, the government is ensuring that poverty will be even more firmly entrenched in our society. Cathy Inouye and Rosario Tapia are members of the Project Genesis Anti-Poverty Committee. Other members of the committee contributed to this article.

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Délais inégaux à la Régie du logement

PG — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 20:22:23 +0000

(In French)

Métro – 9 juin 2015.

Mise à jour: Lors de la publication de cet article, Métro avait soulevé quelques questions sur la méthodologie de l’étude, mais n’avait pas été en mesure de contacter ses auteurs pour obtenir des précisions. Claire Abraham, organisatrice communautaire au Projet Genèse, a contacté Métro mercredi après-midi. Elle a expliqué que l’étude statistique des délais à la Régie du logement avait été effectuée sur les 45 cas de moisissures répertoriés où le locataire, plutôt que le propriétaire, avait déposé la plainte. Le problème soulevé par Métro n’affecte donc pas le résultat de l’étude. La moyenne de délai pour ces cas atteint donc 790 jours, plutôt que 762 jours.

Certaines causes bénéficient de délais beaucoup moins important que d’autres devant la Régie du logement du Québec, selon une étude des jugements de la Régie entreprise par le département des sciences juridiques de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), en collaboration avec Pro Bono UQAM et Projet Genèse, publiée mardi.

(Photo: Archives Metro)

Selon l’étude, les délais de traitement des dossiers où la présence de moisissures a été alléguée sont beaucoup plus longs que lorsqu’un propriétaire porte plainte pour non paiement de loyer. D’après les auteurs du rapport, cela prouve que la Régie accorde plus d’importance aux cas de non paiement de loyer qu’aux plaintes des locataires.

«L’accès à la justice à la Régie du logement est disproportionnément à l’avantage des propriétaires», affirme Isabelle Monast, du Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ), en réaction au rapport.

Un sentiment que partage Claire Abraham, organisatrice communautaire au Projet Genèse, qui a participé à l’élaboration du rapport.

«Souvent le gens n’auront pas recours à la Régie en premier lieu. C’est une des raisons pour laquelle à la Régie, seulement 10% des causes sont soumises par des locataires. C’est parce que, si ça va prendre deux ans, à quoi ça sert ?» lance-t-elle.

«Quand les délais sont aussi longs, c’est synonyme d’impunité pour les propriétaires.» – Isabelle Monast, du Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec

Questions quant à la méthodologie

Le rapport affirme que les délais peuvent atteindre 762 jours en moyenne lorsqu’il y a des allégations de présence de moisissures dans un logement. Pour en arriver à ce chiffre, on a étudié 187 décisions de la régie où le mot «moisissure» prend une place importante.

Le plus long délai encouru par une cause étudiée dans le rapport est de 3216 jours, pour une plainte déposée en 2004 et finalement entendue en 2013.

Or, vérification faite par Métro, les moisissures ne semblent pas être au coeur de cette cause. Dans le jugement, rendu par le juge François Leblanc, on peut lire que la plainte a été déposée par la propriétaire, qui demandait le recouvrement d’un loyer non payé. La locataire avait expliqué qu’elle avait quitté l’appartement à cause de présence de moisissures, mais n’en avait jamais averti la propriétaire, et n’a pas réussi à le prouver au juge, qui a tranché en faveur de la propriétaire.

Une autre cause, qui elle a pris 1826 jours avant d’aboutir à une décision – le septième plus long délai répertorié par les auteurs du rapport – est de nature similaire. Dans la décision, rendue en 2012 par la juge Jocelyne Gascon, on peut lire que la propriétaire allègue que ses locataires sont responsables de la présence de moisissures dans l’appartement. La juge décide que la preuve en ce sens n’est pas suffisante.

Métro n’a pas été en mesure de rejoindre le Projet Genèse en fin de journée mardi pour savoir si ces causes devraient être incluses dans le calcul de la longueur moyenne des délais, et si cela pourrait affecter le constat.

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CSL asked to urge renewal of federal social housing subsidies

PG — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 13:45:00 +0000

The Suburban – April 22, 2015.

Côte St. Luc council was asked by a representative of Project Genesis to pass a resolution urging the federal government to renew and restore subsidies for social housing.

The group’s Molly Tenzer, speaking at the April council meeting, explained that social housing units built before 1994 benefitted from federal subsidies annually, which have been used to reduce the rent of low-income tenants, and for maintenance work. But she said the agreements are ending for those pre-1994 residences across Canada, “be they cooperatives, non-profit or low-cost housing,” and some Côte St. Luc residences are impacted.

“That’s 585,000 units across Canada,” she added. “Two of the Caldwell residences — one of which is in Côte St. Luc — lost their subsidies in 2014. And the other two buildings will lose their subsidies in 2023. Already, new tenants at Caldwell have to pay full market rent. Right now, in Côte St. Luc, two houses out of five pay more than the standard 30 percent of their income towards housing, and tenants wait years before they can have access to social housing. The potential loss of existing social housing projects only worsens the situation.”

Mayor Anthony Housefather said he would personally support such a resolution, but that it has to be discussed with council first.

“It’s a very serious issue,” he said. “The council is now looking at other options to enhance the amount of housing in Côte St. Luc, in different ways with different groups. I’m hoping, in the next few years, there will be more options in Côte St. Luc and allow for a lesser waiting list and a more modern facilities. But I’ll leave it to those groups to eventually announce where they’re going to locate and when, and if the rezonings go through. For sure, I will bring your proposed resolution to an in-committee [council] discussion, and if we have a consensus, we’ll bring it back and let you know.

“But you have my personal support.”

Joel Goldenberg

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Lettre : «Quand ils parlent d’économies, c’est sur l’dos des démunis»

PG — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 14:25:13 +0000

(In French)

Les Actualités – 16 avril 2015

C’est sur ce slogan que nous Projet Genèse et habitants de Côtes-des-Neiges, avons exprimés nos inquiétudes à quelques jours du budget provincial, le 21 mars dernier, à l’appel du FRAPRU. Nous étions une trentaine à joindre plus de 500 personnes pour réclamer le financement de logements sociaux, entre autres par le maintien du programme AccèsLogis. AccèsLogis est le seul programme qui permet encore la construction de logements coopératifs et à but non-lucratif au Québec.

La colère et l’espoir nous animaient lors de cette marche. Colère face aux menaces contre AccèsLogis, mais aussi espoir que le gouvernement comprenne enfin l’importance du logement social. La fin du programme AccèsLogis serait une catastrophe dans le quartier. Plusieurs projets à venir comme les 2500 logements sociaux de Blue Bonnet seraient sérieusement compromis sans l’appui de ce programme. Mêmes les élus municipaux en sont conscients !

Pour des milliers de personnes d’horizons différents, un logement social ferait toute la différence; pensons à des personnes à mobilité réduite ou qui avancent en âge et qui ne se trouvent pas d’appartement adapté, à des personnes gagnant de faibles revenus ou encore à des immigrants récents qui doivent se trouver un logement abordable. Plusieurs d’entre eux étaient à Québec et attendaient le budget et le sort réservé AccèsLogis de pied ferme «pour voir si les politiciens croient vraiment à la justice».

Le jeudi 26 mars, le verdict tombe avec l’annonce du budget : AccèsLogis reste mais est sérieusement amputé. Nos craintes étaient fondées : justice ne rime pas avec austérité.

Dans son budget, le ministre Leitão annonce que le programme AccèsLogis est coupé de moitié. Seulement 1500 logements sociaux seront construits cette année sur l’ensemble du territoire, soit la moitié du nombre déjà minimal d’unités construits en 2014. Le montant «économisé» est injecté dans 1000 subventions au loyer. Cette solution a pourtant été souvent critiquée. Ces subventions aident certes à payer le loyer mais elles n’incitent pas non plus les propriétaires à entretenir et réparer les logements, au contraire. Sans un bassin de logements abordables disponibles, les locataires restent dans des appartements mal-entretenus, voire insalubres, et les payent… avec leur supplément de loyer. Dans de nombreux pays comme en France ou aux États-Unis, ces subventions ont fait augmenter les loyers !

Les locataires ont déboursé davantage pour des appartements de plus en plus en mauvais état.

Dans des quartiers comme Côte-des-Neiges, le supplément au loyer n’apporte pas non plus de solution au manque criant de logements pour les familles. Selon nous, le budget Leitão fait clairement fausse route. Nous ne comprenons pas le choix du gouvernent : le logement social a de nombreux avantages que n’aura jamais le privé. Il permet par exemple d’augmenter le nombre de logements disponibles pour les familles, de mettre de la pression sur les propriétaires pour assurer la qualité et la salubrité des appartements. Le gouvernement fait des petites économies sur le dos des plus démunis : alors que les investissements en logement social représenteraient relativement peu d’argent, ils auraient un impact majeur dans la vie des gens du quartier. AccèsLogis reste un programme pertinent qui soutient les personnes les plus vulnérables. Les gens du quartier continueront de se battre, non seulement pour le garder mais pour le bonifier.

Alexandra Pierre,
Organisatrice communautaire,
Projet Genèse

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Opinion: New welfare rules unfair to immigrants in particular

PG — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 22:17:00 +0000

Montreal Gazette – April 9, 2015

Nobody wants to be on welfare. We are fed up of hearing that welfare recipients are a bunch of lazy bums who take it easy and travel. Those living on welfare are a heterogeneous group of people whose various life circumstances have forced them to ask for assistance. People may have lost their job due to sickness or accident, or been unable to find a job due to a variety of complex reasons. The government has an obligation to assist people in these circumstances as a means of ensuring that basic human rights are respected within its territory. Welfare was created to act as a social safety net in 1969, and would have continued to play that role had it been indexed adequately. Instead, a single person living on welfare is trapped on a budget of $616 per month, which is, needless to say, not enough cover rent, food, and other basic necessities.

Quebec Education Minister Francois Blais speaks during question period Thursday, March 19, 2015 at the legislature in Quebec City. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot)

Welfare is hard enough on people trying to survive on it. They face a gargantuan struggle to feed themselves, keep their apartment, and pay their bills. But the Ministry is threatening to put even more pressure on them with new rules, one of them being to limit the amount of time they can spend outside of the province. This decision seems to be based on the presumption that welfare recipients can afford to travel.

The reality is that there are immigrants who have not been able to go back to their countries of birth to visit family members in years; some have been invited by a family member to attend a relative’s wedding; some would have to travel back and forth between Montreal and out-of-province cities to be at a parent’s bedside while he or she was sick or dying.

People on welfare are already subject to scrutiny by the welfare system. They have to fill out a declaration each month regarding their activities and may be ordered to furnish bank statements going back years along with affidavits from friends, employers, and religious communities explaining how they have been able to survive on such a meagre cheque. By limiting the amount of time people can leave the province to 15 days, the government is further tightening the screws on the people with the least money in our society.

We also believe that these changes are going to affect immigrants more than any other people on welfare, penalizing those who have to cross a border to visit a sick parent, or attend a wedding or funeral. It might take years for someone’s family to raise enough money to offer them a plane ticket so they can visit, and through sheer mean-spiritedness the welfare system would cut this rare visit short.

The previous minister responsible for employment and social solidarity, François Blais, stated that the purpose of the reform was not to save money. It is projected that Quebec would save about $1.8 million dollars by cutting people off welfare when they leave the province for more than 15 days, out of a global budget of $4 billion. That’s a drop in the ocean!

Though this change would only have a tiny effect on the government’s budget, it would have a big effect on the concerned individuals. Even more shocking, these kinds of reforms, based on prejudices and misconceptions about the welfare system, affect all welfare recipients because it spreads the idea that they have it so easy. The new minister, Sam Hamad, should back down on these reforms and instead deal with the real incoherencies in the welfare system.

Myrtle Anderson, Mohamed Benkiran, Candy Barnes, Leroy Wedderburn and Susan Fitch are members of Project Genesis’s Anti-Poverty Committee.

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Quebec’s sole housing program slashed

PG — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 14:36:00 +0000

The Suburban – April 1, 2015

‘Real social effects’

It’s not the wholesale scrapping advocates feared but it’s almost that bad.

The province’s only social housing program was slashed in half last week in the Liberal government’s budget. AccèsLogis provides 40-50 per cent of the costs to create rental housing in partnership with community groups, municipalities and private developers.

With annual budgets of around $250 million, it helps create some 3,000 housing units each year, but Minister of Finance Carlos Leitão announced only $126 million for the construction of 1,500 units, part of an overall $284 million social-housing envelope.

Most of the balance—$123 million—will go to rent supplements, direct payments to qualifying tenants to obtain private rental housing, and another $35 million to help adapt homes for low-income families.

Social housing advocates are decrying the partial shift to subsidies as a transfer of the social responsibility to create decent, affordable housing in viable communities to the private market.

What Sheetal Pathak of Project Genesis finds disconcerting is that the Liberal government announced a first year’s 1,500 social housing units but rent subsidies for 1,000 then 1,200 new subsidies over the next four years. “They are talking about rent subsidies for the coming years but nothing about AccèsLogis, which tells us that they may be phasing it out.”

Pathak and other critics say private subsidies don’t ensure quality, has no long-term gain and may actually increase rents, while building housing can stabilize rents and boost quality of private properties.

“We think this is a step toward privatizing housing services with no guarantees of quality and will encourage slumlords who will not feel compelled to improve conditions.”

Competing with social housing for tenants compel disreputable landlords to improve their properties, but that won’t be necessary says Pathak, because they have ‘become’ social housing. “In that way it is a gift.”

“Studies show that subsidies put upward pressures on rents, whereas building social housing creates a societal asset.” She says that the move might reflect a combination of shortsightedness and ideology, given that in the long-term, the economics and social benefits favour social housing.

The government’s own figures show that every social housing dollar spent generates $2.30 of wealth through employment, construction and other spinoffs, while annually saving taxpayer cash—estimated at $130 million—in social programs related to homelessness, seniors, the handicapped and mental illness.

For the Quebec Federation of Housing Cooperatives (CQCH), cutting AccèsLogis is incomprehensible.

“The need remains significant. More than 225,000 Quebec tenants spend more than 50 per cent of their income on housing,” said president Jacques Côté, adding the government should closely monitor their program over the next year for “the real social effects and economic impacts of this decision.”

Rental vacancies are quite low in many of Quebec’s urban centres, particularly for large families—about three per cent—as is the dismal case of Côte des Neiges, where almost 15 per cent of tenant households spend more than 80 per cent of their income on rent, and where above-average rents meet below-average incomes. (In NDG, average rents also outpace the Montreal norm.)

According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation only 12 private rental homes were created in the area between January 2011-September 2014, compared to 1,597 condominiums, and the vacancy rate of three-bedroom rentals in CDN stands at a dismal 1.3 per cent.

Groups also fear that as vacancy rates vary from year to year, a sudden drop may prompt landlords to drop out of the program.

“If a landlord finds that they can charge a lot more, says Pathak, it could be really difficult to find apartments.”

Pathak says Project Genesis will be educating the public on the new changes and what they mean, “and we’ll continue to pressure the government to change their mind, if not this year then next year.

Joel Ceausu

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Quebec’s only social housing program may be closed

PG — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 13:54:00 +0000

The Suburban – March 19, 2015

Activists sound alarm

Dramatic, disaster, catastrophic.

That’s how local advocates characterize the threat to AccèsLogis, Quebec’s sole program for social housing projects.

“We’re sounding the alarm,” says Jennifer Auchinleck of the Community Development Corporation of Côte des Neiges, which along with other groups denounce the possibility that Quebec will halt the program this year.

AccèsLogis provides 40-50 percent of the costs to create rental housing in partnership with community groups, municipalities and private developers. With an annual budget of $250 million, it typically helps create some 3,000 housing units each year.

Advocates say indications from Quebec City suggest the Liberals may replace it with rent supplements, although the minister responsible for housing Pierre Moreau has not stated that AccèsLogis is doomed, nor has the Société d’habitation de Québec (SHQ), which runs the program. “The SHQ has made no new announcement about AccèsLogis,” spokesperson Sylvain Fournier told The Suburban. “We are waiting for the announcement of the next provincial budget. Currently, the program is still active according to its normal parameters.”

“All we hear is that everything is on the table,” says Mazen Houdeib of non-profit housing group ROMEL. “We see private developers telling government that individual subsidies are a better option, but there’s no proof to back that up.” He says 300-400 planned rental units are in jeopardy if AccèsLogis folds.

Housing advocates and tenants say cancellation of program may spell the end of social housing. (Photo: Suburban)

Project Genesis’ Sheetal Pathak says replacing social housing with individual assistance can increase rents and worsen conditions, confirmed by experiences in other jurisdictions, including the U.K., France, Finland and the U.S., adding “more social housing would force slumlords to clean up their properties to compete.”

Market for unclean housing

“Unfortunately,” says Annie Lapalme of housing information group OEIL, “there is a market here for unclean, unsafe housing, because it is cheap, and landlords know it.”

The government’s own SHQ says every dollar invested in social housing generates a return of $2.30 to the economy. “As a partner with private industry, social housing is a generator of the economy,” says Houdeib. “We are part of the machine of construction, of jobs,” while generating annual savings up to $129 million for government, as seniors become more autonomous, students are more successful in school, and people with reduced mobility can contribute and integrate into society. “It’s an investment, not an expense.”

Pathak agrees: “It’s the best solution here and across the province, because it is long-term, and benefits not only current tenants but future generations.”

The issue resonates province-wide but the loudest voices come from Côte des Neiges, where almost 15 percent of tenant households spend more than 80 percent of their income on rent, and where above-average rents meet below-average incomes.

According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation only 12 private rental homes were created in the area between January 2011 and September 2014, compared to 1597 condominiums, and the vacancy rate of three-bedroom rentals in CDN stands at a dismal 1.3 percent.

It’s dramatic, says Lapalme: “Poor conditions, unclean, too small for families and a worrying increase in homelessness.” (More than 38 percent of CDN tenant households with children under 12 have mold or humidity problems, and almost a quarter have cockroaches or rodent infestations, according to Montreal’s health agency.)

Some 2,500 households are waiting for housing in the borough, says Auchinleck, the same number of units advocates have demanded for the Hippodrome development, the borough’s last available land for development. If AccèsLogis goes, she says, “That’s it, no more social housing here,” with grave implications for people’s right to remain in their neighborhood. “We see it in the Triangle, so many condos going up on the scarce land available, what happens to those who cannot afford it? They have to leave or accept even worse conditions.”

The group hopes austerity measures don’t push the Liberals to act penny-wise and pound-foolish, and are asking local MNAs to stand up for the interests of their population, noting the city, along with the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal and the Fédération Québécoise des municipalités support maintaining AccèsLogis says Auchinleck. “The block is really the provincial government.”

Joel Ceausu

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Les organismes communautaires inquiets

PG — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 12:42:00 +0000

Les Actualités – 19 mars 2015

(In French)

À l’approche du budget provincial, plusieurs organismes communautaires de Côte-des-Neiges sont inquiets du refus du gouvernement provincial de reconduire AccèsLogis, le seul programme permettant la construction de logements sociaux.

«La réduction ou l’abolition de ce programme serait un désastre pour Côte-des-Neiges et pour les locataires de partout au Québec», a souligné Annie Lapalme, intervenante communautaire à l’Organisation d’éducation et d’information logement (OEIL).

(Photo: Marie Cicchini)

Pour chaque dollar investi en logement social, 2,30 $ a été injecté dans l’économie, d’après une récente étude de la Société d’habitation du Québec.

Les organismes qui pressent le gouvernement à reconduire AccèsLogis craignent que les locataires à faible revenus ne soient totalement exclus des développements sur le site de l’ancien hippodrome, où la Corporation de développement communautaire (CDC) réclame 2500 logements depuis 2005.

Dans Côte-des-Neiges, 14,8 % des ménages locataires consacrent plus de 80 % de leurs revenus pour se loger.

Ils craignent également qu’AccèsLogis ne soit remplacé par des programmes d’aide à l’individu comme le supplément du loyer dans le marché privé, puisqu’ils contribuent à l’augmentation des loyers et bénéficient plutôt aux propriétaires qu’aux locataires, selon Sheetal Pathak, organisatrice communautaire.

La privatisation de l’aide au logement n’apporterait pas de solution aux besoins en termes de logements salubres et pour familles dans le secteur comprenant Côte-des-Neiges. Entre janvier 2011 et septembre 2014, seulement 12 logements ont été mis en marché comparé à 1597 condominiums, selon la Société canadienne d’hypothèques et de logement.

Marie Cicchini

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Opinion: Everybody needs a place to call home

PG — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:55:00 +0000

Montreal Gazette – March 6, 2015

(En anglais)

As members of the housing rights committee of Project Genesis, we are alarmed to hear that the AccèsLogis program, the only program building social housing in the province, might be cut this year. All over Quebec, people and organizations are urging the government to keep this program going, including the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

In Quebec, housing is a basic human right in jeopardy. In Côte-des-Neiges alone, 5,060 households are allocating more than 80 per cent of their income toward rent. What is it like to pay too much of your income in rent? It means not having enough for other necessities, basic things like public transport, heating, food, telephone bills, clothing, and medical and dental care. For parents, it’s a struggle paying for school supplies or new clothes when kids grow out of old ones. Mortgages and home loans (if interested, get info here) have become the go-to option for the new lot of homeowners in America. The older generation of owners, who do have such credit, might opt for refinancing them, but the question remains – how much of your income goes into your house? The answer – less than what you would ideally want! Hopelessness among tenants and homeowners tends to settle in: it’s a big cloud coming down and there is no way out. For many, physical and mental health problems ensue: depression, isolation, addiction, diabetes, heart problems, to name a few.

A balcony with a For Rent sign on an apartment building on Barclay avenue in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges in Montreal on Saturday, November 8, 2014. Dario Ayala / Montreal Gazette

Who needs social housing in “Condo Nation?” Seniors on pension, people with health problems or with disabilities, newcomers to the country, single parents, the working poor, those who are unemployed, people on welfare, and caregivers. Social housing is the solution for them. Here are the stories of two Housing Rights Committee members:

Ms. C lost her job as a translator many years ago. Getting social housing has meant feeling finally at home, safe and secure, after a series of very difficult experiences with roaches and mould-infested slums. “That’s what happens when you don’t have money in this city, you have to accept substandard housing,” she explained. For Mr. P, when he arrived in Montreal as a new immigrant, he had great dreams about what living in Canada would be like. Instead, after working for a few years, he and his wife developed severe health problems. He ended up living for 20 years in an apartment that was infested with cockroaches. His place was in a general state of disrepair. Year after year, his rent increased: in 20 years, it almost doubled, but the state of the apartment remained the same. “I would clean and clean my apartment but never feel like it’s enough. In 2014, I found social housing and it feels like heaven. I feel like 20 years later, the dream I had about Canada finally came true,” he said.

These stories are far from unique. Social housing is a long-term solution to poverty, a societal investment. Building new social housing units with AccèsLogis costs about $250 million a year, only about 0.38 per cent of the program expenses of the government last year. Recently, the Société d’habitation du Québec sponsored a study that found that for every dollar invested in social housing, $2.30 of wealth is created in the economy. Not only does social housing give us great return on investment, but for people struggling to get by at the end of the month, month after month, it can be a lifesaver.

“Home sweet home,” the saying goes. But with the Liberal government considering cutting funding to AccèsLogis, the adage rings less and less true. We need to fight for social housing and stand up for the members of our society who can’t afford dazzling condo high-rises.

Susan Fitch, Claude Hopfenblum, Kurt John, Sheetal Pathak, Nalawattage T. Pinto and Molly Tenzer are members of the Housing Rights Committee of Project Genesis.

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Housing advocates call Régie ‘slow and unresponsive’

PG — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 14:22:34 +0000

Suburban – February 11, 2015

Tenants in Quebec are being held hostage by a slow and unresponsive Régie du logement said a coalition of housing advocates last week.

The group protested outside the Montreal offices of Pierre Moreau, minister responsible for the tribunal, and called for an end to “interminable” waiting times, dubbing the Quebec agency the “Régie du lentement.”

The group borrowed the hostage theme from the Canal Vie show Proprio en otage, a populist look at landlords’ experiences with difficult tenants. Tenants, however, says Project Genesis’ Claire Abraham, are struggling to be treated faily by the tribunal when their rights are violated.

“The statistics often quoted – an average delay of 21 months for the category that includes causes of unsanitary conditions and lack of heating – does not mention the reality endured by tenants who are being held prisoner of a dysfunctional and ineffective justice system.”

Romina Hernandez of POPIR – Comité Logement says the government has been unresponsive to calls for change. “We went directly to Moreau’s office because it’s been months and months that we are trying to communicate with the Minister without success. For years Quebec tenants have been documenting abuses and sending letters without a response.”

The current Régie system, say advocates, prioritizes the interests of owners at the expense of the rights of tenants. “The latest measures proposed by the government – hiring of special clerks and commissioners – had no impact on the waiting times for tenants. These resources only serve to maintain short deadlines for the owners’ issues, ” said Abraham.

Tenants’ rights groups are demanding that Moreau ensure the tribunal does not dismiss tenant’s health and safety in pursuit of protecting financial interests of landlords, and any reform should seek to establish and equitable, transparent and timely system.

Joel Ceausu

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