The Quebec government should draw inspiration from the federal government and stop its austerity measures, suggested participants at an assembly on the homeless, held in Montreal Monday.
Approximately 100 participants from various groups who deal with the homeless regularly welcomed an exchange with Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development at the Ralliement de la rentrée en itinérance.
In its last budget, the federal government increased funding for the Homelessness Partnering Strategy by 50 per cent.
This funding boosted several projects targeting homelessness, including the development of 230 new social housing units in Montreal, as well as day centres, shelter facilities and street work, Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), officials noted.
The City of Montreal has also made efforts in this regard, said RAPSIM coordinator Pierre Gaudreau.
“We are talking about the federal government that has restored — hopefully for the long term, but for at least two years – funding for different approaches in the fight against homelessness. The Quebec government’s response is lacking. We have a good national homelessness policy (in Quebec), but the means are not there to prevent and reduce homelessness,” Gaudreau said. For example, he cited the new welfare policy, which stipulates that applicants will be forced to participate in certain programs, otherwise their cheques will be cut to $399 a month.
The budget cuts affected social housing; half the units were funded rather than the 3,000 expected.
Groups attending the two-hour meeting asked Duclos whether he would extend the current Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) agreement that provides tenants in certain social housing a two years respite, because they are at risk of significant rent increases when the federal subsidy comes to an end in 2018.
Duclos did not have a clear answer. “This will be part of the announcements that will be made in the coming months,” the minister said in an interview after his exchanges with the different groups.
