Montreal boosts rent assistance ahead of Moving Day

The City of Montreal is investing an additional $742,500 to expand its Rent Assistance Bank, helping more tenants avoid losing their homes as Moving Day approaches.

The funding will allow Maison du Père's Rent Assistance Bank to support an additional 150 households facing financial hardship due to rising housing costs and the increasing cost of living. The program offers interest-free loans of up to $5,000 to help tenants cover unpaid rent and remain in their homes, with repayments based on a household's financial situation and spread over as long as five years.

Beyond the loans, the program provides personalized support including mediation with landlords, housing stability services, and resources aimed at preventing homelessness. Each request leads to a budget analysis and psychosocial support, with the aim of ensuring lasting residential stability.

"If we want to fight homelessness at the source, we have to intervene before people lose their homes," Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said. "Sometimes, a few hundred dollars is enough to prevent an individual or family from losing their home and becoming homeless."