Montreal funds $3.4M push to prevent homelessness before July 1
City increases relocation assistance ahead of the major moving day as encampments grow across the east end.
Montreal is putting $3.4 million toward homelessness prevention programs to help tenants stay housed as July 1 moving day approaches — a time when thousands of Montrealers relocate and rental stress peaks.
The funding will cover relocation assistance, temporary housing support, and storage rentals for people at risk of losing their homes. The Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal (OMHM) and community organizations on the ground will manage the programs.
"Rehousing assistance will enable the OMHM and frontline community organizations to increase their presence on the ground and better plan their operations," Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said in announcing the increase.
The announcement follows the city's creation of a crisis unit within its tactical intervention group for homelessness after the Notre-Dame encampment in the east end swelled in recent weeks.
Catherine Lussier, coordinator at housing advocacy group FRAPRU, called the investment a positive sign but cautioned it addresses only part of the problem. "The rental market is unaffordable for many," she said, noting that low-income tenants struggle most. FRAPRU advocates for more investment in social housing as a longer-term solution.
Tenants at risk of losing housing can call 211 or 311 for information on city assistance programs. The money arrives as the city grapples with competing pressures: rising homelessness and a rental market that has squeezed thousands out of stable housing.