About the event
On May 15, 2023, the first edition of our Speaking Truths series was an inspiring community gathering called Together for Housing. It was a unique opportunity to learn and build dialogue around the many housing challenges facing Greater Montreal. The aim of the day was to come together and join forces to identify measures with the potential to end the housing crisis in Greater Montreal.
Recap of Together for Housing | May 15, 2023
Greater Montreal needs change now!
A crisis with human faces
We invited five community agencies to discuss the impacts of the housing crisis and three experts to share points of convergence to deepen our understanding of the housing issues. These are important and necessary discussions at a time when the crisis is having a domino effect on social issues and exacerbating the precarious living conditions of the most vulnerable among us.
We would like to thank all meeting participants for their engagement and enthusiasm. The stories shared have helped inspire and engage key stakeholders in the field.
People-focused discussion
Courage, humanity, and authenticity: these are the qualities that emerge from the testimonies of the people who generously opened up and shared their stories about the issues they face around housing. Marie, Naima, Carla and Mario agreed to speak out about how the housing crisis impacts their daily lives, mental health, well-being and more. The incredibly moving stories they shared with us serve as powerful reminders of what our discussions should be focused on: people.
Discover their stories below:
For today and future generations
Marilou Denault, senior advisor at the Observatoire des tout-petits, spoke about the importance of making housing decisions that are sustainable in the long term, despite the crisis situation. The purpose of her conference was to identify the specific housing concerns parents face and present some distressing statistics from the most recent Léger survey. Participants described an unfortunate reality: finding affordable and suitable family housing is a source of stress for many parents across Quebec.
Learn more about the impacts of the crisis and recommended measures to address them: Observatoire des tout-petits_Marilou Denault.pdf
Insights driving action
Next, participants were divided into workshop groups to brainstorm ways to overcome the challenges posed by the housing crisis:
- 5 workshops on different themes
- 30 to 90 participants per workshop
- 90-minute workshop time
- ONE main question: How can we improve access to suitable and affordable housing for the most vulnerable populations?
- ONE shared mission: finding sustainable solutions to the housing crisis
Discover the outcome of these discussions in the Committed to Housing report, below.
Conclusion
Committed to Housing
We’re very excited to share the results of the efforts that went into Together for Housing. The Committed to Housing report is a comprehensive summary of the May 15, 2023 event.
The publication also presents compelling data on the current situation and proposes a common indicator, presented by Claude Pinard, CEO of Centraide of Greater Montreal, and Laurie Lanoue, Director of McKinsey’s Montreal office.
Committed to Housing report
“Housing is a multi-dimensional social issue, and we have to explore multiple solutions. Many stakeholders need to work toward a common interest in doing better, aiming higher, and ensuring that we advance based on solid indicators and beyond election terms.”
— Claude Pinard, President and Executive Director, Centraide of Greater Montreal
Open letter
Following the Together for Housing event, Claude Pinard, CEO of Centraide of Greater Montreal, and more than 80 co-signatories published an open letter in La Presse setting out their commitment to working together to find lasting solutions to the housing crisis. The letter is a real call to action that has resonated strongly with stakeholders from all walks of life.
Let’s keep on working together and raising our voices to transform our vision into reality.
Because everyone has a right to suitable, affordable and stable housing.
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