71 households relocated into short-term accommodations following Moving Day

The Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) reports that 71 households were relocated into short-term accommodations following the province’s unofficial Moving Day on July 1, a 103 per cent increase from the same time last year when 35 households were relocated.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada shared that evictions have also increased this year, with 81 households being forced to vacate their property since the start of 2026, a spike she calls worrying.

“The evictions have been increased and the number of people that we have to put in short-term accommodations has doubled,” said Martinez Ferrada during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Catherine Lussier, the coordinator for the non-profit housing organization Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU), says the cost-of-living crisis is at the forefront of this spike in relocations.

“Since 2018, the rent in Montreal has increased around 60 per cent. Salaries haven’t gone (up). And it’s just housing, we’re not talking about food, we’re not talking about transportation. Everything has increased in the last year.”

Of the 71 relocated households, 35 per cent were evicted due to an inability to pay rent, 70 per cent were individuals living alone and one-third were seniors over 60 years old. In addition to the relocations, 219 households are being followed by the OMHM to receive support to access affordable housing.

For Montrealers like Alexandrie Lespérance, this time of year is particularly difficult. After being unable to find a studio apartment she can afford, she turned to the OMHM for help.

“I’m being evicted from my family and I’m trying to find some place that’s affordable at the same kind of price I’m already paying, and it’s very difficult,” said Lespérance. “I don’t want to pay the double the price for the same quality of a place I want to live in.”

Far from alone in struggling to access housing, another Montrealer, Windsor, has been looking for an apartment for his father for a while.

“The cost of living is very high. So, finding an affordable apartment is very difficult given the prices,” he said.

The mayor confirmed that everyone in jeopardy of being on the street who contacted the free helpline 2-1-1 was granted assistance and a form of temporary accommodation by the city.

“The information I have from the OMHM is that nobody was left on the street. And if there’s anybody in the street right now with no help, please reach out, call 2-1-1, we will take care of you,” Martinez Ferrada said.

This comes after the City of Montreal granted $3.4 million in additional funding to the OMHM in late May for homelessness prevention programs ahead of the July 1.