Federal government investing in nearly 2,000 affordable homes in Montreal and Indigenous communities

The federal government has announced more than $59 million in contributions and low-cost loans through the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) to help build and repair 1,952 affordable homes in the Montreal metropolitan area and in many Indigenous communities across Quebec.

The federal funding announced Tuesday will help create a total of 672 new homes and will lead to the repairs of 1,280 homes.

Federal Minister of National Revenue, Marie-Claude Bibeau, made the announcement on behalf of Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities at Place Griffintown, near downtown Montreal which received $5.1 million to build 54 new homes.

“Everyone deserves a place to call their own and the Affordable Housing Fund is one way we’re helping make that a reality for Canadians,” said Housing Minister Sean Fraser, via a press release.
We will keep investing in affordable housing projects like the ones announced today, and working with partners across the country, to end the housing crisis.”

New local jobs and more homes

According to Minister Bibeau, the investment of over $59 million will not only help create new jobs and stimulate the local economy, but also help to provide over 1,900 more secure and affordable homes for communities throughout Quebec.

This specific program under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people living with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults.

As of March 2024, the federal government has committed $50.97 billion through the NHS to support the creation of over 146,000 units and the repair of over 286,000 units.

More funding needed to address housing crisis

Advocate Catherine Lussier, from housing rights group FRAPRU, applauds the funding, but emphasizes that the federal government should allocate more for social housing throughout Quebec.  

“It’s definitely not enough for answering the most urgent need,” said Lussier, adding, “in Quebec it’s 173,000 tenants that are actually having hardcore needs so they pay too expensive. They live in an apartment that is not decent or too small for their families. So obviously we have way much more need than this announcement is going to fund.”   

As far as what is considered affordable housing, Lussier adds that renters should not be paying more than 30 per cent of their income for rent. And based on the latest Statistics Canada census, more than 370,000 tenants in Quebec – with an average annual income of $23,800 – pay more than 30 per cent of their income for rent. 

“We need the Quebec, the federal government as a Quebec government to focus most of the public funding towards social housing and that’s because that’s where the crisis is the most is to those that are more vulnerable which is the low income and the modest income tenants and those are necessary to be able to answer to the crisis,” explained Lussier.