Jeanne-Céline Ngalle-Miano
Long before COVID-19, a crisis was already eating away at Quebec: the housing crisis. In fact, since 2019, the housing crisis has continued to worsen, especially in large cities. This housing shortage is mainly due to the increasing demand for rental housing, while the percentage of available dwellings is low. In Quebec's major urban centers, the vacancy rate is getting lower and lower, leaving many households at risk of becoming homeless. We're definitely heading for a housing shortage.
As a result, more than 200 households across Quebec are still looking for housing and have still not been able to sign a lease for the 1er or July 1er August 2020. Rising rents, low incomes and, in some cases, discrimination, are putting the most vulnerable households at even greater risk of poverty and social exclusion. harm their access to housing. Moreover, with the COVID-19 crisis, the already precarious situation of many households has worsened due to falling incomes and the crisis in the economic sector.
Access to housing is a fundamental right for all citizens, regardless of income, social status, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, gender or physical or mental condition. A government that cares about its citizens must protect their right to a home. decent and affordable. The PVQ is outraged by the Legault government's inaction in the face of citizens' precariousness!
It is imperative that the government invests more in the construction of social housing, and lowers the criteria for access to emergency aid for the homeless. Tenants should only have to cover their rents with 20% of their income, not 25%. It's time for the government to act in the interests of its citizens, by paying more attention to their realities and putting in place concrete measures to support tenants in their race for housing.
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FRAPRU calls on François Legault to make the housing crisis a priority
