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As the housing affordability crisis persists, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced Friday that the city is unlocking $540,000 to renovate 45 vacant housing units for vulnerable residents.
The units are on a fast-track to become available by September, with some ready as early as August, according to Martinez Ferrada.
“I know 45 units, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but it is a lot,” Martinez Ferrada said during a news conference Friday.
“Every unit that we can put in the market, it’s one person in the family or a senior that can get a home.”
With less than a week to go before July 1 — Quebec’s moving day — 44 families are under the care of the municipal administration after failing to find affordable housing, a figure slightly higher than last year.
WATCH | Montreal boosting city’s housing stock with renovations:
Montreal invests $500K for quick repairs to 45 of its vacant apartments
After evaluating its vacant housing stock in the weeks before moving day, the City of Montreal is investing more than $500,000 in quickly sprucing up 45 apartments. The mayor says hundreds are looking for a place to live this time of year.
This initiative follows a recent assessment by the city of its housing stock, which comprises 5,246 units in total. Around 120 of those units are currently vacant (a 2.3 per cent vacancy rate).
The 45 dwellings prioritized are units that could be repaired quickly and put back on the market by Sept. 1.
“With a small amount of money — $12,000 in work per door— we are able to achieve great results,” said Caroline Braun, the executive committee member responsible for housing.
While these Montreal-owned units are typically managed and maintained by community organizations, the Société d’habitation de Montréal (SHDM) will oversee and co-ordinate the renovation work across multiple boroughs.
Once complete, priority will be given to vulnerable renters, including the elderly, young people and families with children.
“The dwellings will be available quickly, allowing the organizations to focus on providing psychosocial support to their clients,” said Sophie Rousseau-Lacelle, executive director of the SHDM.
Martinez Ferrada also announced that her administration will increase funding to $3.5 million over three years for the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) to assist people experiencing homelessness.
Over 2,000 Quebec households looking to rent
On Thursday, the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) reported that 2,153 households are actively receiving housing search assistance across Quebec.
This marks an eight per cent increase from the 1,989 households helped during the same period in 2025.
In Montreal alone, 279 renter households are receiving support in their housing search, FRAPRU spokesperson Véronique Laflamme told Radio-Canada’s Tout un matin on Friday.
That total includes roughly 100 households that have already been placed in temporary housing.