Montreal woman living in one-bedroom apartment with her teens says units in her building are unoccupied

Julie's two teens share the bedroom, while she sleeps in the living room. (image: Noovo Info)

Living in a cramped one-bedroom apartment with her two teenagers, a Montreal woman says she’s been waiting for months for the Municipal Housing Office (OMH) to approve her for a larger unit.

According to Julie (not her real name), there are several larger, affordable apartments sitting empty in her building.

In an emotional interview with Noovo Info, Julie says that an OMH employee told her the vacant units were unavailable because they needed a fresh coat of paint.

Julie argues that she finds that reasoning absurd.

“If a gallon of paint is stopping families from getting housing, we’ll get it ourselves,” she said. “I’m waiting for them to call me back, but they don’t.”

The two teens, including Julie’s 17-year-old daughter, whom she has full custody of, are currently sleeping in the same room while she sleeps in the living room.

The lack of space is so severe that they are stacking their bags on their beds, and the storage allocated to the family is overflowing as well.

“We have no privacy or space for personal belongings. It’s not welcoming,” Julie said.

Currently, 14,030 people are waiting for public housing in Montreal.

Of these, the majority (9,453) are requesting one-bedroom units, like the one Julie currently occupies.

Another 5,688 are seniors.

Julie says she is frustrated with the lengthy process, noting that someone could have long since moved into her apartment.

“My three-and-a-half-room apartment could have been given to someone who is alone and waiting. In the meantime, I’m blocking someone else’s spot — maybe even an elderly person,” she said.

The OMH declined Noovo Info’s request for an interview, but confirmed Julie is on the waiting list.

It acknowledged that the process can be challenging but emphasized the need for fair and equitable management of applications, especially in a time of high housing demands.

“I was told there are priorities, but I was also told that I had priority because I live in the same building,” Julie said.