‘We’re seeing desperation’: Tenant advocates brace for housing crisis around moving day

With moving day approaching, community organizations say rising rents, renovictions, and a lack of affordable housing are pushing more people to the brink.

With July 1 just weeks away, some housing advocates are sounding the alarm over what they call a deepening crisis.

Community groups like Project Genesis say they’re already overwhelmed by the number of people unable to find a place to live, many of them at risk of homelessness. Rising rents, renovictions, and limited access to affordable housing are pushing vulnerable tenants to the brink.

“We’re seeing desperation,” said Margaret van Nooten, a social rights worker at Project Genesis. “People are afraid to move, but others have no choice — and many just can’t find anywhere to go.”

A 72-year-old Montreal man says he may be forced to sleep outdoors in the coming days.

Richard Duncan has been renting a room in a Verdun apartment for six years. But when the building was sold, his name wasn’t on the lease, and his roommate accepted a buyout from the landlord. Duncan, who is retired and on a fixed income, was left with nothing.

“I was given three months’ notice,” he said. “The new owner paid people to leave. [The leaseholder] took the money, and now I’m stuck.”

His search for new housing has been difficult —and with no cellphone or internet, Duncan says even accessing listings is a struggle. “I have to do everything myself and I don’t have the needed resources,” he said. “It’s been a stressful three months.”

Duncan’s situation is far from unique, according to van Nooten, who says her office has seen an increase in people unable to secure housing — even those with jobs or stable incomes.

“The housing situation overall — it’s terrible. It’s been a really difficult year for tenants,” she said. “We’re seeing people getting hit with massive rent increases — five, even 10 per cent in some cases and people just can’t keep up.”

Project Genesis has cautioned renters not to break their lease unless they’ve already secured another apartment. But some, like Duncan, are being forced out — either through repossessions, renovictions, or pressure tactics.

“We’re seeing landlords managing to get long-term tenants out — sometimes by offering a few thousand dollars to leave, sometimes by threatening renovations that may or may not happen,” she said. “They know they can double or triple the rent if they turn the unit over.”

Those unable to find housing in time are increasingly doubling up with family or strangers. “We see three generations in one apartment, people living in overcrowded, sometimes unsafe conditions,” explained van Nooten. “Rooms being carved out of living rooms. It’s not sustainable.”

In Montreal’s overheated market, she said even being able to pay doesn’t guarantee an apartment. “There are bidding wars — people get to a showing and find someone else offering the landlord more than the asking price,” said van Nooten.

Credit checks, references, and online-only listings present additional barriers — particularly for people without access to internet, phones, or email. “And the city’s platform to search for housing still requires internet access, a certain level of digital know-how and assumes literacy," she added. “If you’re a single person on welfare and your cheque is around $800, you likely can’t afford a phone plan or home internet.”

Discrimination is another factor, she said, with families, racialized tenants, and those with disabilities often passed over. “I had a woman with an autistic daughter who was repeatedly rejected for housing — the landlord just didn’t want a child with special needs.”

The Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal’s (OMHM), the city’s municipal housing office, has already received more than 600 requests for help this year. The annual average is just over 900. Duncan is hoping his application will be among those accepted.

“I’m just looking for somewhere to lay my head down at night and not worry,” he said. “If I don’t find it, I’ll end up sleeping in a park very soon.”

In a statement to CTV News, Loyola district councillor Despina Sourias, who serves as a special advisor on housing at Montreal’s executive committee, said the administration is aware this moving season will be particularly difficult.

“That’s why our administration is continuing to invest more resources to support vulnerable households,” she said. “We’ve doubled the budget dedicated to relocation support and created a new $1.5 million envelope over three years to strengthen housing committees and tenant associations — essential allies in protecting renters.”

Sourias added that the city is working actively with partners to ensure no one is left behind.

“We want every household to know they’re not alone and that there are real resources available to help them through this.”

But van Nooten said housing groups are already overwhelmed. “Staff are exhausted. We’re hearing from organizations across the city that they’ve had to shorten their [opening] hours and still can’t keep up with the number of requests,” she said, calling it a cry for help.

She said what’s needed most is more social housing — and fast. “The private market is ruled by greed. It’s not meeting this most basic need,” she added. “We need more subsidized units, more practical help for people trying to find housing, and better protections for tenants.”

For now, Duncan continues to wait — without a safety net.