Governments of Canada and Quebec Invest in Affordable Housing in Montreal

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - April 16, 2012) - Senator Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); Henri-François Gautrin, Member of the National Assembly for Verdun, on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and Minister Responsible for the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ); and Alain Tassé, Associate Councillor for Housing and Social Housing and City of Montréal Councillor for the District of Desmarchais-Crawford, today visited the sites of Habitations communautaires Entre-deux-âges and the Coopérative d'habitation Rêve bleu de Verdun, two projects that will provide 128 affordable housing units and for which the governments of Canada and Quebec contributed more than $9.8 million. The development of these two projects will result from a total investment of over $21.3 million.

Habitations communautaires Entre-deux-âges will welcome 109 households composed of semi-independent seniors, while its neighbour, the Coopérative d'habitation Rêve bleu de Verdun, will comprise 19 housing units for single persons.

In addition to the Government of Canada, through Canada's Economic Action Plan, and the Government of Quebec, under the AccèsLogis Québec program of the SHQ, the City of Montréal contributed more than $2.4 million to the project, an amount repaid by the Montréal Metropolitan Community out of the social housing fund to which the 82 municipalities on its territory contribute, including the City of Montréal, which provides almost half of the funding. As well, over $1.8 million in additional financial assistance was provided in equal shares by the Government of Quebec and the City of Montréal, under the Renovation Québec program.

"The Government of Canada is investing in affordable housing here and across Canada to help create jobs and improve the quality of life for those who need it most," said Senator Fortin-Duplessis. "The creation of these new units here in Montréal will provide seniors and single persons with access to quality and affordable housing, while ensuring that they can stay close to their families and friends."

"I am very proud that our government, through the Société d'habitation du Québec, contributes to improving the housing conditions of many households. The two projects that we are visiting today are fine examples of this, and I thank all the partners who combined their efforts to allow for the development of these affordable housing units that will be home to seniors and single persons in Verdun," said MNA Henri-François Gautrin, in the presence of Lise Guillemette, Vice-President, Social and Community Housing, at the Société d'habitation du Québec; Gisèle Bernard, Chair of the Board of Directors of Habitations communautaires Entre-deux-âges; Diane Morency, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Coopérative d'habitation Rêve bleu de Verdun; and community partners.

"What we have before us today are the concrete and convincing results of a lengthy process. The test of time and the difficulties encountered will not have gotten the better of the conviction and determination of everyone involved in the development of this superb project," said Gilles Deguire, City of Montréal Executive Committee member responsible for housing and social housing.

"The development of the Habitations communautaires Entre-deux-âges and Coopérative d'habitation Rêve bleu de Verdun projects will increase the supply of affordable housing in Verdun and help meet a demand often expressed by the residents. The construction of affordable housing is also in line with our family policy aimed at maintaining and promoting a variety of housing options in Verdun," said Claude Trudel, Verdun Borough Mayor and City of Montréal Executive Committee member responsible for public safety and security.

It should be noted that 119 of the tenants of the two projects can benefit from the Rent Supplement program, which provides financial assistance to low-income individuals who would otherwise have to spend more than 25 per cent of their income on housing. The rent supplements provided will represent, over a five-year period, close to $2 million in additional financial assistance, including nearly $1.8 million from the SHQ and close to $200,000 from the City of Montréal.

The Government of Quebec and the SHQ are giving particular attention to energy efficiency, which is why all projects developed under the AccèsLogis Québec program must be designed so as to obtain the Novoclimat certification.

The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest more than $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of almost 615,000 households living in social housing. In Quebec, this represents some 132,750 households. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.

To find out more about how CMHC is working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.

In the 2012/2013 budget, the Government of Quebec announced that it intends to build an additional 3,000 affordable housing units, bringing to 35,000 units its objective of producing new affordable housing in Quebec. This represents an additional contribution of $180 million under the AccèsLogis Québec program and the private component of the Affordable Housing Québec program, and brings to more than $1.5 billion the total assistance provided since 2003.

Since 2003, 13,358 community and affordable housing units have been, or are being, developed in the Montréal region, including 237 in the riding of Verdun, representing total investments of over $1.7 billion by the governments and their partners.

The SHQ's mission is to facilitate citizens' access to appropriate housing conditions. Each year, through its various programs, the SHQ supports more than 240,000 households across Quebec. For more information on this agency's programs and services, visit www.habitation.gouv.qc.ca/english.html.