Over 200 Montreal households still without a home weeks after moving day

Six weeks after Quebec’s July 1 moving day, hundreds of households in Montreal still haven’t secured a home — and advocates say those struggling most include single parents, newcomers, and low-income tenants.

Among them is a 22-year-old single mother who is being identified as Kim to protect her privacy. She has been living in a friend’s apartment with her one-year-old son since July.

Kim came to Canada from Cameroon four years ago to study. She said her situation changed dramatically when she lost her job earlier this year and could no longer afford the $1,650 rent for her previous apartment.

“I came here to get an education and, even with me completing that during a pregnancy, I can’t find work,” Kim said. “Because of my boy, I need something in the daytime, but despite making so many efforts, I can’t find anything.”

She became a single parent before her son was born and described the experience as “scary then, and still scary today.”

Her current arrangement has left her sharing a room with her baby and her friend. “My friend has been generous allowing me to stay here but, even if they’re not saying anything, I know it’s not a situation that can continue,” she said.

Kim said she feels isolated without her family in Canada, and her hope is dwindling.

“I don’t want to, but I’ve lost all hope,” she said. “I keep it together and keep trying every day for my child.”

Advocates sound the alarm

According to the Montreal Municipal Housing Office (OMHM), there are 216 families who remain unhoused since July 1. Across the province, there are more than 1,700 households without housing after moving day.

Margaret van Nooten, a social rights worker with Project Genesis, said the crisis has only worsened in recent years.

“If you’re on the market today, you will be paying much, much more than you would have paid ten, or even five years ago,” she said. “Even with assistance from organizations across the city, people aren’t finding suitable long-term housing.”

Van Nooten told CTV News many of these people end up in rooming situations, in homes where they have to give up their furniture or pets — and “in situations where they’re not able to have the minimum to live the dignified life everyone deserves.”

She said those most likely to be turned away from apartments are people without steady employment, credit history or references, as well as newcomers and racialized tenants. Families with young children, especially single mothers, face additional hurdles.

“We can do so much better than this as a society,” van Nooten said. “We need to provide the basics, and that should always include a roof over people’s heads — especially for families, single mothers, and those at a disadvantage.”

She added that landlords are increasingly using tactics like renovictions, repossessions and steep rent hikes to force tenants out and raise prices. “The solution is straightforward,” van Nooten said. “We need more social housing and fast.”

City and housing officials respond

In a statement to CTV News, Philippe Massé, spokesperson for the City of Montreal, acknowledged that the housing crisis has intensified despite what he described as “unprecedented efforts” from the administration.

“That’s why our administration has multiplied actions to protect low-income tenants, including purchasing rooming houses and our historic investment of $100 million to protect more than 700 households in Côte-des-Neiges from possible renoviction,” Massé said, calling it a first for any city in Quebec.

Isabelle Girard-Fortier, director of referral services with the OMHM, said her team is supporting the more than 200 families still searching for a home.

She noted that demand has spiked in the past three to four years and is no longer limited to moving season. “We had a lot of households contacting us in February and March when they got a notice from their landlord regarding the rent increase,” she said. “We see how difficult it is today for Montrealers, especially for those with children, to find rents they can afford. It’s a difficult situation for families.”

For Kim, those difficulties feel overwhelming. With no family nearby, no job, and nowhere permanent to live, she said she is running out of options.

“It’s really hard to be here without my family and the kind of support I need,” she said. “I wish there was more help so people like me didn’t have to fall through the cracks.”

Despite the obstacles, Kim said she continues to push forward each day, determined to give her son the stability she came to Canada to find.