Mother of 4 unable to find apartment in Montreal as moving day looms

Angela Ottereyes has four kids and no place to live come July 1.

"I can't find an apartment and it's not like I can't afford a place," she said. "Right now, I'm working full time for the summer before I go back to school."

She is currently renting a three-bedroom apartment in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood for $2,400 per month. This year, she broke the lease to find a place closer to her children's school. She's been searching since February without success.

She has a budget of $3,000 per month.

Ottereyes said the intense demand for housing in the city is obviously a factor. Often she doesn't even get a reply to inquiries, and she's been told by one landlord that they got over 200 messages as soon as the ad went live.

"I'm probably the 260th person to message him," she said. Then again, she added, she's gone to visit others and been refused flat out.

She feels the fact that she is a student is working against her, she said.

"Because I am a student, they think that I don't have the means to pay for my expenses," Ottereyes said, showing CBC News examples of message exchanges with advertisers.

In one case, a realtor asked her to describe her situation. She said she is a full-time student at a school near the available apartment. She was told the landlord believed she couldn'tafford the place for $2,500. The realtor did not verify her financial situation before sending that message.

So she has been packing boxes despite not knowing where she is going to live.

She made a desperate plea on social media, asking for help. Still, nothing.

Montreal housing demand high

Earlier this month, the city of Montreal announced it is preparing to support over 300 households who might not have housing come July 1 known as moving day in Quebec.

Benoit Dorais, vice-chair of Montreal's executive committee, said he knows the housing crisis is worsening and the city is determined to help people get through the moving day crunch. At the same time, he said he is looking for long-term housing solutions.

WATCH| Montreal's housing crisis explained:

What's behind Montreal's housing problem, and what could ease it

1 year ago

Duration 2:41

With rents continuing to rise, and the price of buying a home doing the same, we break down what's driving the housing crisis in Montreal.

In 2022, more than 900 households called 311 looking for housing assistance. This year, more than 300 had already called by mid-June.

"Requests for assistance for Operation July 1 services have exploded in recent years," Dorais said.

He described affordability as "under threat" in Montreal, but vowed, "we will not give up, we have plenty of initiatives."

Callsfor more provincial support

Montreal Mayor Valrie Plante has long demanded the province invest more in social housing and other services to help ease the housing crisis. She mentioned it again during a news conference last week.

Catherine Lussier, with the housing advocacy group, Front d'action populaire en ramnagement urbain (FRAPRU), said the situation is harder now because the vacancy rate is lower, especially for family housing.

She said that the vacancy rate is about zero per cent. She said the Quebec government needs to do more to protect renters from fraudulent evictions or illegal efforts to push tenants out.

She said there also needs to be more social housing units available.

"Obviously, the situation is getting worse," said Lussier. "We have seen more how housing is used for makingprofits [] than actually for housing people."