Number of Quebec families looking for housing since Moving Day has risen

People load a couch into a truck on moving day in Montreal, Monday, July 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

The number of families without housing, without a lease or looking for housing has continued to rise over the past two weeks.

A few regions saw decreases, but most saw increases.

While the number reached 1,667 on July 4, it stood at 1,944 on Friday, according to the latest data from the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ). Of these, 484 households are temporarily housed by municipalities -- 167 in hotels -- and 317 with relatives.

However, around 10 per cent of these temporarily housed households are those who have obtained assistance as a result of a disaster, and not because of the housing crisis.

Not a surprise

"Generally speaking, we're seeing a slight increase in the number of households that are still being assisted, and we're not surprised by this, considering the housing shortage that's being observed quite a bit across the territory," said Sébastien Olivier, Director of Communications at SHQ, in an interview with The Canadian Press.

He pointed out that most of the households added were already known to the SHQ but did not require active support because they had "a plan B" or were planning to find housing, but these options did not materialize.

As for the 1,460 households in difficulty who are not temporarily housed, "that doesn't necessarily mean they're out of housing now, but they may be out of housing by mid-August or Sept. 1. So we're keeping a close eye on them," he said.

People behind the numbers

He does hope to see some reduction from mid-September onwards but warns that this is more of a hope than a forecast in the current context of an extremely tight housing market. He said, "these are still statistics, and behind each figure there are households in very specific situations, often facing difficult realities."

Olivier also takes the opportunity to underline "the work being done in the field. This year, we've seen an improvement in the support offered. There are many, many people, big mutual aid networks that are being put to work, and we're very satisfied. We recognize that a lot."

Number of households without housing or at risk of homelessness by region as of July 19. In brackets, data as of July 4 (Data compiled by Société d'habitation du Québec):

*July 19 data for Montreal include the majority of households temporarily housed due to a disaster, while July 4 data did not.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 19, 2024.