Montreal, Quebec, June 21 2024 - Rachel Bendayan, MP for Outremont, on behalf of Canada's Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Sean Fraser, and the Quebec Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant announced today joint funding of $57.5 million per year, for the years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, to support and develop 51 emergency and transitional housing projects for people experiencing homelessness.
Thanks to this funding, the Montreal region will see a significant increase in the number of emergency and transitional housing places by 2026. The call for projects not only allowed to renew and enhance all existing spaces, but also to add 521 new spaces. This represents a 30% increase in the number of places, given that by December 2023 there was 1,526 places in Montreal.
Faced with the increasingly complex situation of homelessness in the metropolis, the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec and all their partners are today sending out a strong message of collaboration. Indeed, too many Montrealers and Quebecers are confronted with the unacceptable reality of homelessness, when everyone deserves to have a safe and stable home. It's important to continue to unite all the forces at work, to invest more to help the most vulnerable and to ensure the development of housing projects for these clienteles. In this respect, the inauguration of the Au pied de la Montagne project is a convincing example.
Au pied de la Montagne
It was also an opportunity for the assembled dignitaries to inaugurate the Au pied de la Montagne project, spearheaded by the Old Brewery Mission organization. Located at 4544 avenue du Parc on Plateau Mont-Royal, this is a 24-unit community housing project for homeless men. A former hotel has been transformed into a rooming house, including community spaces and areas for tenant support and accompaniment services. The Government of Canada invested more than $6.5 million in the project as part of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). The Government of Quebec is also helping to finance the project, valued at over $8 million, through its Rent Supplement program.
