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as quebec’s population ages and housing costs soar, montreal’s emergency shelters and streets are becoming home to a rapidly growing number of older men and women like beauparlant, forced out of their residences and with no place to go.
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seniors are the most vulnerable to evictions because they’ve often lived at the same location for years without seeing a significant rent increase, while all around them housing prices, interest rates and maintenance costs have soared. for owners looking to sell their building or increase the rents, older tenants paying $800 a month when the average montreal rent has risen to $1,639 are key targets.
forced evictions more than doubled in montreal in 2023 from the previous year, and rental prices increased 27 per cent from 2020 to 2024, provincial tenants’ rights association regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du québec (rclalq) reported . although concrete figures are elusive because most evictions don’t come before the provincial housing tribunal, the association estimates there were close to 90,000 forced evictions in quebec in 2023.
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faced with growing media attention and statistics surrounding evictions of seniors, quebec strengthened its laws in early june, putting a three-year moratorium on renovictions and widening protection for seniors who have lived in their home for at least 10 years, lowering the age of eviction protection to 65 from 70.
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in an email, press attaché justine vézina wrote that quebec offers a rent subsidy program for families and those 50 and over that will contribute up to $170 per month to eligible candidates. as well, the government recently signed a contract to build 1,000 social housing units designed for seniors under the mission unitaînés program , and it reinforced eviction protection for seniors with bill 65, she noted.
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bégarin would like to see society adopt the attitude that it’s the responsibility of everyone around an elderly person to protect their housing stability and act as sentinels so they’re not forced out. the maison du père has a 24-hour emergency help line (514-845-0168, ext. 360) to counsel people in french and english who fear they’re at risk of losing their lodging. social workers, family members and even landlords seeking a way to keep their tenants have been using the line as well, bégarin said.
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