Tenants Association to prod candidates for social housing commitment

On August 23, the official start of the election campaign, members of the Sherbrooke Tenants Association will make the rounds of the candidates in Sherbrooke to get formal commitments from their party to create 50,000 social housing units, including 1,500 in Sherbrooke in the next five years.

The tour will be a prelude to the Grand Marche, which will take place from September 2 to 29 and cover the 500 kilometers between Ottawa and Quebec City.

During encounters with candidates, the Association plans to remind each candidate that in the spring of 2018, as part of the Grand March, thousands of people from 47 civil society organizations in Sherbrooke supported the request for 50,000 social housing units over five years.

The Association will also point out that the situation for people in poor living conditions is deteriorating year after year. In Sherbrooke, 6,105 renter households spend more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. Among those, 1495 renter households spend more than 100 per cent of their income for housing.

According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Committee (CMHC), a renter paying more than 30 per cent of our income on housing, is at risk of serious financial problems. In addition, hundreds of renter households live in housing that is hazardous to their health and safety.

“Housing is an essential need that is obviously not always available to some 195,625 tenant households in Quebec, who pay more than 50 to 70 per cent for housing.” the Association said in a press release. “The Association will inform the candidates that as long as their political party does not make a public commitment on the construction of social housing, the Association will hound them throughout the campaign to remind them that the right to housing is not just a roof but a peaceful, safe and financially accessible place for all.”