Montreal Is Getting 2 New Social Housing Buildings For Women & The Rent Will Be Capped
Residents will be able to stay in the units for up to two years.
A view of downtown Montreal, part of the Ville-Marie borough, as seen from Mount Royal.
A project to create new Montreal social housing units for women is closer to becoming a reality. Chez Doris, a non-profit women's shelter foundation, is set to receive $7.5 million in funding from the City of Montreal to purchase two neighbouring buildings in Ville-Marie.
The plan is to turn the properties into 19 units reserved for "vulnerable women who have experienced, or are at risk of, homelessness." They will be able to stay in the units for between three months and two years, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which is also funding the project.
Tenants will benefit from the Quebec government's rent supplement program, which will cap residents' housing costs at 25% of their income.
Organizers also say tenants will have access to "community support," which will "promote discussion, integration and better living."
"These 19 new units for vulnerable women are providing more than just a safe, stable roof over their heads," federal Minister of Housing Parliamentary Secretary Soraya Martinez Ferrada said in a press release.
"For its residents, the building will become a true home, the key to a better life."
Officials say the need for housing projects like this has become more acute in recent years.
"In a context where homelessness needs have been exacerbated, notably by the pandemic, it was important to give the means to Chez Doris to ensure the realization of this project which will offer essential help to vulnerable women at risk of homelessness," Montreal Executive Committee Member Benoit Dorais added.
"This future rooming house meets a pressing need in the city."