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Neighborhood revitalization and the conversion of former industrial sectors are achieved by taking a diversified approach that balances housing, services, and local businesses while ensuring a social mix that makes room for all residents. With this in mind, the Ville de Montréal’s guidelines require new real estate developments to include affordable, social, or community housing. The implementation and success of this vision demand a variety of skills and experience. The conversion of former Canada Post properties at the Bassins du Nouveau Havre site, in the Griffintown sector, is an excellent example of this.

Sound, complementary partners
To design, finance, and carry out an affordable joint community project, four partners joined forces and pooled their expertise, including two NPOs, each created to manage a community building (L’Habitation 21 and L’Habitation 22); technical resource group Bâtir son quartier, which supports them in the development of their project; and Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), which will certify the Accès Condos component. SHDM also used its financial agility as a lever to ensure project completion by buying part of the land in March 2014 and the time to finalize project financing.

235 community housing units and 78 certified Accès Condos units
The project is now ready to move forward. It includes two buildings with a total of 235 community housing units under the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) AccèsLogis program and a third building with 78 affordable housing units certified under the SHDM’s Accès Condos program. The project will be complemented by commercial space and parking lots for new residents.

A fifth partner joining soon
Project implementation reached a new stage this summer with a public call for proposals to choose a residential real estate contractor to carry out construction according to the conditions set by the partners.

Documentation and the public call for proposals process allow interested contractors to obtain all the information they need to present a proposal that meets the quality and affordability requirements, with the benefit of shared risk. Meetings are scheduled in July and August to explain the features of the AccèsLogis and Accès Condos programs, leaving time to finalize proposals, which must be submitted by October 4, 2016.

Interested contractors are invited to consult the call for proposals posted on the SEAO website by SHDM here.

Montréal, July 6, 2016 — The Ville de Montréal recently authorized Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) to purchase a 29-unit residential building belonging to Société canadienne d’hypothèques et de logement (SCHL), located in the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. With this transaction SDHM resumes its purchasing of affordable rental housing.

“By launching projects such as the purchase of this building, Montréal is safeguarding a diverse housing supply. This purchase represents an important aspect of SHDM’s mission, namely, helping to maintain and develop the supply of high-quality, affordable housing,” explained Montréal mayor Denis Coderre.

SHDM general manager Nancy Shoiry is very happy with the acquisition, which adds to the company’s current stock of 4,700 affordable rental housing units. “Our housing supply offers an alternative to subsidized low-cost housing (HLM), boosts diversity and vitality in our neighborhoods, and meets the growing demand for high-quality, affordable housing in Montréal. I am delighted that SHDM is able to maintain these rental units for the households that live there.” Emphasizing that SHDM will be financing the entire project, Ms. Shoiry added that “this purchase demonstrates the vital role SHDM plays as a paramunicipal organization and its ability to take targeted and appropriate action to maintain a high-quality, affordable housing supply in Montréal over the long term.”

Russell Copeman, Ville de Montréal councilor in charge of housing, urban planning, and real-estate management and planning and for Office de consultation publique de Montréal, also commented on the transaction. “By taking this opportunity to add to its rental housing supply as part of a project that it is entirely self-financed, SHDM is proving that it’s possible to come up with creative solutions for preserving the diversity of the housing supply without placing a burden on taxpayers. In addition to purchasing the building, SHDM is also planning significant renovations that will enhance the current tenants’ quality of life, preserve the building over the long term, and provide high-quality housing at an affordable price.”

The transaction was formally approved by the SHDM board of directors on June 21, 2016, and duly approved by the Ville de Montréal council at the meeting on July 6, 2016.

About the building
Built in 1939, the property offers a total of 29 affordable housing units (five 3½ units and twenty-four 4½ units). It is located at 5215 chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine and at 5722-24 avenue Mountain Sight in the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. Currently, 28 of the 29 units are occupied. The building is owned by Société d’hypothèques et de logement (SCHL) and was put on the market via a public tender won by SHDM. In addition to offering a purchase price of $2 million, SHDM has committed almost $500,000 to carry out renovations and bring the building up to code, while maintaining affordable rents.

Contacts :
Leslie Molko,

Leslie Molko, SHDM Spokesperson, 1-514-347-8584 | Marc-André Gosselin, Press Officer, Office of the Mayor and the Council, 1-514-290-1194

Homelessness takes many forms. A single unfortunate event, a health problem or the loss of a job is enough to turn a life upside down. For these men and women of all ages, finding a home again is the first step towards a return to a more balanced life and a successful social reintegration.

It is in this spirit that the Maison du Père, the Welcome Hall Mission, the Old Brewery Mission and l’Accueil Bonneau joined their networks and expertise to create Projet Logement Montréal in order to build bridges between homeless people who wish to regain residential stability and property owners who have rental dwellings that are available.

They persuaded several partners to take part in the venture, including private and institutional owners who, like the SHDM, adhere to their vision and trust them to accompany each person in the process of getting out of homelessness.

Within just a few months, Projet Logement Montréal has already reached half its goal for the first two years, with more than 120 people who have found a home and a healthy living environment. Today, the organization has nearly 200 candidates willing to engage in the experience and it is in search of affordable housing.

Thanks to financial guarantees and continuous psychosocial support, the partnership allows owners to participate in the project with confidence and to find tenants whose primary aspiration is to regain a home.

To know more, visit the www.projetlogementmontreal.org website or send an email to [email protected].

 

Photo credits: courtesy of Portraits de Montréal, Montreal adaptation of the blog Humans of New York.

As part of the Grande rencontre des entrepreneurs de Montréal event, the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) has awarded a $1,500 grant to Esplanade, a space for collaborative activities dedicated to entrepreneurship and social innovation.

This grant was presented by Nancy Shoiry, Managing Director of the SHDM, during the event organized for entrepreneurial succession by the Jeune chambre de commerce de Montréal (JCCM) on April 27. It was the members of the jury, Dr. Gilles Julien and Jean-François Archambault of the Tablée des chefs, who chose the Esplanade as the winner in the category Social Entrepreneurship: Resolving issues in our society. As a partner of choice in responsible property investment in Montréal and as a sponsor of this event, the SHDM seeks to contribute to the development of innovative initiatives in the field of social action.

The whole SHDM team congratulates the Esplanade organization which defines itself as space to foster collaborative activities dedicated to entrepreneurship and social innovation. We also congratulate the other winners of this award, which are Fleexer, Jarre and Oui are entrepreneurs.

The National Congress on Housing and Homelessness, organized by the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), is being held this week in Montreal. Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) is proud to be one of the organizers and key partners of this event.

“The congress, which brings together a wide range of people working on housing issues across Canada and abroad, is an opportunity to forge ties with others interested in housing and innovation” explained Nancy Shoiry, managing director of SHDM. “The future of our 4,700 affordable housing units, the development of rooming houses for the homeless, access to home ownership, and the development of mixed development projects are all issues that SHDM tackles in order to promote the economic and social development of Montreal. This congress is a unique forum for sharing knowledge and expertise, and we are very pleased to participate as a partner, speaker, and delegate” mentioned Ms. Shoiry.

SHDM’s actions promoting home ownership presented to Canadians from across the country
Accès Condos, SHDM’s financial tool for helping people purchase affordable condos, will be discussed at a number of activities during the CHRA congress:

• Two mobile workshops organized in cooperation with Direction de l’habitation de la Ville de Montréal will cover the Accès Condos program and its contribution to efforts to revitalize Montreal-North as well as a project serving a range of clienteles in the Sud-Ouest borough.
• Johanne Mallette, Director of Real Estate Development at SHDM, will explain the financial model Accès Condos uses and how SHDM promotes affordability at the SmartFinancing in Support of Affordable Housing workshop.

SHDM, a partner of choice for responsible housing in Montreal
SHDM, a not-for-profit, financially independent para-municipal corporation, will have a booth in the conference exhibit hall. Direction de l’habitation de la Ville de Montréal and Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) will also be exhibitors and will present their complementary housing services along with SHDM.

 

 

The Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) is proud to announce that the Louis-Charland building is a finalist in the LEED Indoor Environment Quality category for the 2016 Durabilys Awards.

Located at 801 rues Brennan, in the Ville-Marie borough, the Louis-Charland building, which a LEED-CI certification, is a property of the Brennan-Duke Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM). This building, designed by MENKES SHOONER DAGENAIS LETOURNEUX Architectes, houses one of the administrative centers of Ville de Montréal. Its interior design was realized by Provencher_Roy.

Initiated by the Québec chapter of the Canada Green Building Council (CBDCa-Qc), the Durabilys Awards were created to make known projects that meet all the standards set for sustainable buildings and reward developers and stakeholders in the field of sustainable buildings in Québec. The awards will be presented at the official reception of Les journées Durabilys, which will be held at Montréal’s Palais des congrès on March 23 and 24, and which include lectures, training and a trade show.

The SHDM is proud that this major project can now be recognized through the initiative of the Canada Green Building Council and reiterates its commitment to work for sustainable and responsible property investment.

In this regard, the SHDM is currently building a major project on Place des Festivals, the Îlot Balmoral. The SHDM aims to qualify the building for a LEED Gold NC 2009 certification thanks to a green roof and a remarkable performance in terms of energy management and air quality control.

For more information on the event and the Durabylis Awards, click here.

 

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer