Advancing housing solutions

Published in collaboration with the Foundation of Greater Montreal and the Institut du Québec, this report documents housing challenges in Greater Montreal and identifies those most affected by the housing crisis.  

Read the blog article and report

Developed by Centraide of Greater Montreal, the residual income measure is an innovative indicator that tracks the extent to which households can afford their rent once essential expenses have been covered. It helps provide a better understanding and monitor the trajectory of housing insecurity in Greater Montreal. 

See our press releases and reports: 

• Together for Housing 

• Housing facts and indicators database (in French only) 

• Residual Income Measure 

• 2023 residual income report (in French only) 

A study conducted by McKinsey & Company in collaboration with Centraide of Greater Montreal shows that affordable social housing is an important tool in reducing vulnerability, improving housing security and generating lasting social benefits. 

Read the press release and the study (in French only)  

A forecasting analytics study conducted by RUNWITHIT Synthetics for Centraide of Greater Montreal shows that a 6% rent increase could push more than 30,000 people into precarity, thus driving home the impact of rising housing costs on household living conditions. 

Read the press release and the study  

Centraide provided support to the Corporation de développement communautaire de Côte-des-Neiges to hire an employee to coordinate community involvement in the development of the Hippodrome site. This contribution was vital in developing a shared vision of an inclusive neighbourhood, with 10,000 non-market units, nearly half of which would be social and affordable housing. 

Learn more about GALOPH (in French only) 

In partnership with Vivre en Ville, Centraide supported the development of the Rental Registry system to help ensure a more transparent rental market. This initiative is designed to protect tenants’ rights, monitor rent trends and inform the development of public policies that better reflect housing realities.  

Learn more about the Rental Registry 

Centraide played a key role in creating the Initiative immobilière communautaire to help community agencies better navigate the affordable space crisis. Through this initiative, these agencies have access to a variety of financial tools so they can purchase, renovate or build spaces to meet their specific needs. 

Learn more about the Initiative immobilière communautaire

Centraide contributed to the creation of the $50 million Amplifier fund, in collaboration with several charitable organizations, Desjardins and the Société d’habitation du Québec. The purpose of the Amplifier fund is to accelerate the development of affordable, environmentally responsible housing across Quebec. Through the fund, community agencies and cooperatives can access financial support to implement projects of this nature. 

Learn more about the Amplifier fund 

Starting in 2023–2024, Centraide increased its financial support for housing committees by 15%, in recognition of their essential role in championing tenants’ rights and supporting those facing housing challenges. This investment aims to build housing committees’ capacity to act as the housing crisis worsens. 

See a list of housing agencies and committees 

Centraide turned its downtown Montreal parking lot into a solution to address the housing crisis by selling it to UTILE, a social economy enterprise focusing on student housing. The transaction will help build affordable student housing units, with proceeds from the sale being reinvested in the Amplifier fund and the Initiative immobilière communautaire to support affordable housing and community projects.  

Read the press release

Centraide supported the creation of the Regroupement pour une action concertée en habitation (formerly known as the Groupe des 21). Drawing on stakeholders from the municipal, business, community and housing sectors, this coalition seeks to foster a coordinated approach to the housing crisis and promote solutions among decision-makers. 

Learn more about RACH (in French only)

Centraide engaged with government representatives to help develop an action plan commensurate with the scale of the housing crisis. Centraide strove to bring forward the concerns of low-income households and community agencies working on the ground. 

Through its participation in consultations on the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal’s metropolitan housing policy, Centraide contributed to broader discussions on the priorities and measures needed to promote more equitable access to housing across Greater Montreal.