Pilot project saves more than a dozen Montrealers from eviction
Posted December 23, 2024 9:44 pm.
Last Updated December 23, 2024 9:55 pm.
Since March 2024, La Maison du Père has been working with men, women, and families facing eviction by offering financial support and guidance through their new pilot project, Banque d’Aide au loyer. The project was inaugurated with support from the Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montreal (CIUSSS), to help people not only reconcile their debt with their landlord but also to rebuild their financial independence.
“We started with a small $45,000 that we needed to help 15 people,” said Samuel Drolet-Bégin, an intervention worker of prevention services at Maison du Père. “We ended up helping 18 or more people.”
“We noticed that Québec was the only province that didn’t have this kind of project, so we felt like it was maybe something that was lacking in the homelessness prevention programs,” he added.
This prevention program targets individuals before they are evicted to avoid a potential homelessness situation. The six-month pilot project has minimal requirements when assessing a person’s needs, with support available as long as necessary for the applicant to get back on their feet.
“It’s great for building up people,” says Duane Mansveld, Coordinator for the homelessness prevention network at La Maison du Père, while discussing their new pilot project that has already saved more than a dozen Montrealers from eviction.
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“We try to work with the landlords, with the people around to be able to help out, and from there, after the payment, all depends on the needs of the participant,” said Duane Mansveld, the coordinator of the homeless prevention network at Maison du Père. “It’s variable the way that we follow, we do the follow-up, but sometimes we’re able to help them for getting medical needs to be more stable and to be more autonomous in his apartment – this is the goal,” he said.
According to Mansveld, overall loan repayment nationally increased from 33 per cent to over 95 per cent with this new project.
“The thing that’s great about that, is that the participant at first he receives the loan, but after when he starts repaying the loan he becomes a partner with us because the money he repays, we’re able to give to other people that need loans,” said Mansveld.
On average, investments in helping individuals in situations of homelessness in Quebec cost more than 70 thousand a year and prevention projects like Banque D’Aide au loyer can help reduce these costs by 35 per cent.
“The feedback I’ve been getting the most surprised by is the landlords because I thought there would be some resistance,” said Drolet-Bégin.
“But they were surprisingly very open to work with us and most of them referred other of their tenants.”
The successful loan repayment program has allowed La Maison du Père to make a total investment of almost $50,000 – $5,000 more than originally invested – which in turn has helped them reach more people.
“We just got the news yesterday that the CIUSSS is helping to fund us until the end of March [2025],” said Mansveld. “So, all together from when we began six months ago up to the end of March, we’re hoping to be able to help at least 50 people.”
