Housing crisis deepens as Moving Day relocations double, evictions spike
The Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal relocated 71 households into temporary housing following July 1, double last year's number. Rent has jumped 60 per cent since 2018.
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Montréal's housing crisis has worsened sharply after Moving Day, with the city forced to relocate 71 households into temporary accommodations following July 1—a 50 per cent increase from 35 households the same time last year.
Evictions have also spiked. The city has processed 81 evictions since the start of 2026, a spike Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called worrying. "The evictions have been increased and the number of people that we have to put in short-term accommodations has doubled," she said Thursday afternoon.
Of the 71 relocated households, 35 per cent were evicted for inability to pay rent. Seventy per cent were individuals living alone, and one-third were seniors over 60. Another 219 households are being supported by the city to access affordable housing.
Catherine Lussier, coordinator for the non-profit housing organization Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU), points to the cost-of-living crisis. "Since 2018, the rent in Montreal has increased around 60 per cent. Salaries haven't gone up. And it's just housing—we're not talking about food, we're not talking about transportation."
For those at risk of homelessness, the city activated its free helpline 2-1-1. Martinez Ferrada confirmed everyone who contacted the line received assistance and temporary accommodation. The city allocated $3.4 million to the Office municipal d'habitation in late May for homelessness prevention programs ahead of the moving deadline.
