News

Identifying the homelessness situation in a targeted way is recognized as one of the best practices for addressing the homelessness problem. Knowing the changing number of homeless people as well as the changing characteristics of this population make it possible to develop appropriate responses. The results of the population count taken last spring and released this week are therefore of the utmost importance.

« These results show us that homelessness can strike at any age and has more than one face, » explained Carl Bond, Director of Property Management at the SHDM and a member of the Board of Directors of the Mouvement pour mettre fin à l’itinérance à Montréal (MMFIM). « It is also clear that access to affordable housing is key to collectively addressing the homelessness situation and trying to put an end to it, » he added.

Residential stability programs and the availability of safe, affordable housing are part of the SHDM’s mission to meet the various housing needs of Montrealers. The data collected through the population count is extremely important to ensure that our projects for people who are—or at risk of becoming—homeless are as appropriate and relevant as possible.

Consult the chart summarizing the highlights of the 2018 homelessness count by clicking here.

Consult the MMFIM article published in La Presse+ on Friday, March 29, 2019 by clicking here.

 

Image source: https://www.mmfim.ca/les-resultats-du-denombrement-2018-a-montreal/

The Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) wishes to congratulate Laetitia Angba on her appointment as a member of the SHDM’s Board of Directors.

Mrs. Angba’s appointment, confirmed on March, 13, at the meeting of Ville de Montréal’s Executive Committee, comes into effect immediately. In accordance with the SHDM’s by-laws, Ville de Montréal’s Executive Committee is responsible for appointing its directors, who are chosen to represent a wide range of relevant skills to guide the organization in its strategic choices and ensure good governance.

« I am proud to welcome Laetitia Angba to the SHDM’s Board of Directors, » stated Johanne Brunet, Chair of the Board of Directors. « I am confident that this experienced administrator will make a complementary strategic contribution to our Board of Directors, through her extensive experience in the community and social sector. We will benefit from her leadership in project management as well as her involvement in community organizations. »

« The Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal is a hub for real estate of tomorrow in Montréal. Housing is, I believe, at the heart of Montrealers’ quality of life and the construction of dynamic, supportive and inclusive communities. I am therefore delighted to contribute to the SHDM’s mission and to take part in finding solutions to the many, complex and constantly changing affordability issues, » stated Mrs. Angba.

About Laetitia Angba
Mrs. Angba holds Bachelor of Civil Law and Bachelor of Social Sciences degrees from the University of Ottawa and has solid experience in the community and social field. She has received a number of awards and honours in recent years. Nominated for the 2017 cohort of the Réseau jeunes femmes leaders (RJFL) of Concertation Montréal, she has been working since 2014 for the Fondation du Dr Julien, following positions in the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva and at the Women’s Resource Centre in the University of Ottawa’s Student Federation. In addition to her professional activities, Mrs. Angba is completing a specialized graduate diploma in Business Administration at HEC Montréal and is a volunteer with the Organisation des jeunes de Parc-Extension (PEYO) to improve the quality of life of residents in this neighbourhood. She is known for her ability to bring together relevant partners to set up promising projects for the community.

Launched four months ago, the Faubourg Contrecœur Phase 6 project is already more than 60% sold. Since this fall, there has been tremendous interest in this 70-unit project, with 92% of its units having two or more bedrooms. At the present time, only 5 two-bedroom units and 11 three-bedroom units are still available.

To date, some 330 families have visited the sales office. With the lease renewal period just getting under way, the steady pace of visits to the sales team doesn’t seem to be slowing down and every weekend, some 20 households come to 9500 rue Myra-Cree for a visit.

Families are very interested in this project, which has many units with several bedrooms. They are also delighted with this housing development that was initiated by the SHDM in 2010 and designed to offer a lively and stimulating neighbourhood:

• Carlos D’Alcantara Park: splashpads, a basketball court, climbing walls, weight training facilities, play structures, and more…
• Les étoiles du Faubourg daycare
• Restaurants and pharmacy nearby
• Commercial area including a grocery store and a gas station already planned

In 10 years, thanks to the SHDM’s initiative, this formerly immense 380,000 m² wasteland has been literally transformed into a mixed living environment, featuring a variety of housing, services and businesses, all geared toward an outstanding quality of life.

With more than 600 accredited Accès Condos units since 2010 for this housing project, in addition to four community housing projects, the many townhouses and the Station est seniors’ residence project, Faubourg Contrecœur and its residents have succeeded in creating a very pleasant living environment in Montréal.

In French only 

Mme Valérie Plante, mairesse de Montréal, Mme Nancy Shoiry, directrice générale de la Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal, et M. Éric Caron, directeur général de l’organisme Ma Chambre inc., annoncent un partenariat qui permettra de rénover et de maintenir une maison de chambre située dans Le Plateau-Mont-Royal.

« Les besoins pour des maisons de chambre sont importants à Montréal et nous travaillons sans relâche afin de répondre aux besoins de cette clientèle vulnérable. Nous avons lancé notre stratégie de développement de 12 000 logements sociaux et abordables afin de développer des logements sociaux sur notre territoire, mais également afin d’innover dans nos approches pour offrir un toit décent, confortable et accessible aux Montréalaises et Montréalais. Je suis contente de voir que notre vision de l’habitation est partagée par des organismes et des sociétés paramunicipales et que nous œuvrons tous ensemble pour offrir de meilleur chez-soi à la population », affirme la mairesse de Montréal, Mme Valérie Plante.

La Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) a reçu l’autorisation de la Ville de Montréal d’acquérir l’immeuble situé au 1651, boulevard Saint-Joseph Est, pour la somme de 1 350 000$. La SHDM revendra ensuite l’immeuble à l’organisme Ma Chambre inc. pour le même montant.

« L’intervention de la SHDM permettra de sécuriser l’achat de l’immeuble et de sauvegarder la vocation d’une maison offrant ainsi un toit à 25 personnes dans le besoin. Nous sommes heureux de venir aider l’organisme Ma Chambre inc. dans l’achat et la rénovation de cette maison de chambres. Être acteur de l’immobilier responsable, c’est s’engager auprès de nos partenaires pour trouver des solutions innovantes pour favoriser l’accès et le maintien d’hébergement stable », lance Nancy Shoiry, de la SHDM.

Ma Chambre inc. a déposé une offre d’achat sur l’immeuble, conditionnelle aux résultats de l’appel d’offres pour la réalisation de travaux sur le bâtiment dans le cadre du programme AccèsLogis Québec. Le délai de clôture approchant à grand pas, l’organisme risquait de perdre cette opportunité d’acquisition sans l’intervention de la Ville de Montréal et de la SHDM.

Une des réponses à long terme pour réduire et freiner les problématiques d’itinérance demeure toujours l’accès à un logement permanent et abordable. Les maisons de chambres répondent aux besoins de populations vulnérables et constituent une première étape vers une stabilisation après un séjour à la rue. Toutefois, le parc de maisons de chambres de Montréal diminue d’année en année. Il importe donc de prendre des mesures pour assurer le maintien de ce parc.

« Notre projet permettra de favoriser l’autonomie, la stabilité et l’insertion sociale de personnes seules à faible revenu en leur offrant un logement sécuritaire à prix abordable. Nous remercions la participation de la SHDM et de la Ville de Montréal dans notre projet qui nous permettra d’offrir une meilleure qualité de vie aux résidentes et aux résidents du 1651, boulevard Saint-Joseph Est », M. Éric Caron, de Ma Chambre inc. La revente à l’organisme Ma Chambre inc. se fera lorsqu’il aura obtenu son engagement définitif, soit d’ici la fin de 2019.

This holiday season, let’s be responsible and generous. Let’s give a second meaning to our holiday wishes.

Take part in our online quiz and learn more about the three organizations chosen by SHDM employees, which will receive a donation.

TAKE PART IN THE QUIZ
6 questions | 1 minute of your time | 3 organizations chosen by our employees | 1 donation per organization

Happy holiday season to you all!

Between April and October, over one hundred SHDM tenants took part in horticultural activities and projects right in their own living environment. The children—who particularly made their mark this year, by turning out in such large numbers to garden at the foot of their apartments, much to the great delight of their parents and neighbours—definitely inspired others and sparked word-of-mouth as well.

The gardeners were happy to see that the children were so interested in getting involved and were so attentive to the plants. « My children knew absolutely nothing about gardening, because they had never had access to a garden before, but now they are the ones who tell me what vegetables are growing, how to maintain them and when they are ready to be harvested! » stated a loyal participant.

Two major projects launched in the boroughs of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Saint-Michel–Villeray–Parc-Extension were set up thanks to Sentier Urbain, which was called upon to look after them. Within these two projects, there was a total of 35 workshops offering activities, supervision and horticultural advice, door-to-door rounds, emails sent out, promotional posters and telephone calls to promote the program. More than 85 participants landscaped 1240 square feet of land with 507 vegetable and herbal plants, 107 perennials, 26 shrubs, 15 fruit shrubs, 4 trees that were planted and 90 flowers, for the direct benefit of the participants.

The project on Rue Fielding, in the borough of Saint-Michel–Villeray–Parc-Extension, brought together a total of 66 people living in 20 of the SHDM’s 84 housing units, representing a participation rate of approximately 23%. For its first year with Sentier Urbain, this project proved to be a real success.

As for the project on Rue Barclay in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, which was in its second year of operation, it once again brought together last year’s 15 loyal participants, plus five new regular ones. This project is therefore well on its way to becoming self-sufficient and sustainable, which is the main objective of the projects initiated by the SHDM.

« In order to ensure that the community garden projects organized last year will continue on and on, two horticulture clubs are established within the Barclay and Fielding projects, » pointed out Daniel Lavoie, Residential Operations Coordinator at the SHDM. Many tenants have in fact gradually joined these projects, on seeing the benefits for the entire community: socialization and encounters, learning, a sense of belonging and security, beautification, free access to local and healthy vegetable gardening products, etc.

Would you like to join one of these two clubs? Write to [email protected]

The SHDM would like to thank all the residents who are involved in their community, its horticulture team, Sentier urbain, the Société de développement et d’habitation communautaire (SODHAC), Les Habitations Sherbrooke Forest Inc. and Habitations Terrasse Saint-Michel, all three of which are external administrators for the SHDM, for their professionalism in carrying out the responsibilities assigned to them by the SHDM.