City of Montreal purchases seven-bedroom building for affordable housing

The city of Montreal has purchased a rooming house in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal as part of its effort to provide affordable housing.

The city will pay $1,385,000 for the two-storey, seven bedroom, building on Centre street.

“Affordable housing needs are urgent in Montreal, as everywhere in Quebec, and our administration is taking unprecedented action to respond to the needs,” said Benoit Dorais, responsible for real estate and housing strategy for the city of Montreal and borough mayor for the Sud-Ouest, adding, “by acquiring the rooming house on rue du Centre, we make sure to protect, in a sustainable way, its vocation and the affordability of its units.”

Montreal will be transferring the rooming house the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM). In a press release, the city of Montreal states that the SHDM will, “take care to administer it as soon as the City takes possession.”

The city acquired the seven bedroom building by exercising its first right of refusal which is a project designed to help purchase existing buildings for housing.