62 years old man 1 who helped build social housing before becoming unemployable is at risk of homelessness because of a lack of affordable housing.R July.
“I never thought this would happen to me in my life,” said Mario Lordi, 62, among the boxes in his 4.5-bedroom apartment.
He will be living in the hotel from next Monday. Not because he’s going on vacation, but because he no longer has a place to live. His furniture will be stored.
He is one of the families supported by the Office Municipal d’Habitation de Montréal (OMHM) for emergency temporary shelter. In total, 26 people had already received housing on Friday and 616 people had applied.
He insists he would be on the street if it weren’t for the support of the Verdun housing group, which helped him live in the Saint-Michel district.
“I was planning to go to the atmosphere to buy a tent.”
He was told that he would stay in the hostel for two months. “But I’ve been looking for five, six months!”
For 28 years
Mr. Lordi lived in the duplex above her for 28 years. He paid $535 per month.
Ironically, she worked as a social work technician and helped develop community housing for mental health in the early 2000s, she says.
Following a breakdown in 2008, he became unfit for work. He now benefits from social solidarity.
In October 2022, the duplex was purchased by Jerujohn Ntolla and Laura Freedman, who intend to convert it into a family residence in order to live there, read a recent ruling by the Administrative Housing Tribunal.
Soon, he contested Mr. A notice of withdrawal of accommodation was sent to Lortie.
In November 2023, the court ruled in favor of the owners, who could take back the accommodation from Monday.
Did they know at the time of purchase that their plan would put a vulnerable person on the street?
“Our clients rely on the results delivered,” replied Me Ali Sbai of the law firm representing them.
Unless a miracle happens…
Mr. Lordi’s case is just one example among many, notes Véronique Laflamme of the Popular Action Front for Urban Redevelopment (FRAPRU).
“A miracle, there’s no other option but social housing,” he sums up.
By $1,700 per month, Mr. Lortie can’t pay more than $900 a month if she wants to keep feeding herself and paying for transportation to medical appointments.
She is on a waiting list for low-income housing starting in 2022.
However, the average waiting time is five years, estimates Mme Flame. There are actually over 16,000 families waiting in Montreal.
Recently, several speakers have addressed the housing crisis and the connections between mental health and homelessness issues.
Mr. Lortie is followed in psychiatry. Thanks to medication, his condition is stable. “But I feel so lost. My future is uncertain.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
