In many cases, rooming houses represent "the final bulwark preventing a person from falling into homelessness," said Montreal executive committee vice-chair Benoit Dorais.
The city of Montreal is using its right of first refusal to protect two rooming houses — a total of 36 units — for its most vulnerable residents.
One is in the borough of Ville-Marie and the other is in Villeray—St-Michel—Parc-Extension. The move is in addition to rights of first refusal acquired in December for a rooming house in Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and another in Sud-Ouest, the office of Mayor Valérie Plante and the executive committee announced on Monday.
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Right of first refusal means the city can choose to match any offer made to purchase the buildings and acquire them at market value. By having the right of first refusal, the city is able to protect the dwellings from speculators and keep them from being used for other purposes, such as a hotel or more expensive property.
The move announced Monday means 64 rooms and small units are protected by the city from real estate speculators.
A total of 101 rooming houses in nine boroughs have been protected in this way in the past year.
In September, city council voted to protect 78 rooming houses on 82 lots in nine boroughs from speculators by using its right of first refusal.
The objective is to ensure the survival of existing rooming houses in order to preserve access to housing for vulnerable Montrealers who are unable to find alternatives because they do not meet criteria for other kinds of housing, Plante’s office said.
A rooming house refers to a building with several bedrooms — in Montreal the average is 15 bedrooms — in which occupants rent a single room and share facilities such as a toilet and shower and, sometimes, a kitchen.
“In the current context of housing shortages, we are taking concrete new actions to preserve the affordability of existing rental housing stock,” Benoit Dorais, vice-chair of the executive committee responsible for housing, real estate strategy, legal affairs and strategic real estate projects, said in a statement.
“We are also strengthening the safety net for the most vulnerable by protecting rooming houses. In recent months, we have innovated by exercising our right of first refusal to permit the city to intervene with agility to respond to the housing needs of more households,” he said.
Having the right of first refusal also plays a crucial role in assuring that existing rooming houses survive and are not used for other purposes, Dorais added.
In many cases, rooming houses represent “the final bulwark preventing a person from falling into homelessness,” he said in the statement.
By having the right of first refusal for rooming houses, “we make sure that these dwellings continue to provide accessible housing and we avoid the displacement of vulnerable populations.”
Having the right of first refusal makes it possible to find ways, in collaboration with organizations, to maintain the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations and to sustain the affordability of these dwellings, the city said in its announcement.
This move is in line with the city’s vision of Chantier Montréal abordable, a consultation process that brings together the major real estate players, the city said. The goal of the undertaking is to promote the preservation of existing housing and to facilitate the purchase of buildings by non-profit community organizations.
sschwartz@postmedia.com
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Montreal moves to protect 78 rooming houses from speculators
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