Affordable housing hard to find in 'hot neighbourhoods' like Montreal's Mile End

Kevin O'Neil wants to stay in Montreal's PlateauMont-Royal neighbourhood.

But with a new baby on the way, he and his wife need more space.

"We have roots here," saidO'Neil, who likes the area's community vibe. "We've been here a long time, we know the place, the place knows us. If we could,we would."

But the neighbourhood is sohot,rents have shot through the roof. O'Neilsearched for a two-bedroom apartmentbut couldn't find anything for less than $1,500 a month.

That's more than they can afford, so O'Neil and his wife arelooking to co-operative housing, where they'd pay a reduced rent.

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Several years ago, the Plateau borough reserved three parcels of land forco-operative housing, aimed atfamilies like the O'Neils.

But so far, only one co-op has been built.The second lot is still being used as a municipal public works yard.

The third is the formercoledesPremiresLettres, on de GaspAvenue in Mile End.

Project faces hurdles

The mouldy, asbestos-ridden vacant school was supposed to be ripped down long ago, to be replaced by 93 new apartments and a daycare.Butdespite years of work by co-op members and Mile End city councillor Richard Ryan, there's still no firm demolition datemaking the building a target for squatters and taggers.

"Normally, it's three to four years, not five to six years," said Ryan. "It's a long time, and the needs are increasing each day."

CorinneFarazli, a member of the co-op's development committee, said the project has faced many hurdles, including shifting political priorities, cuts to subsidies and program changes.

"We felt the project was in peril many times," said Corinne Farazli, a member of the co-op's development committee.

After all the setbacks, co-op membersare hoping demolition and construction will start later this year.

But there's one more challenge:the co-op still has to put out tenders for the work and construction costs have to stay within budget.

"The call for tenders is a really big stress," said Farazli, who is worried construction may be delayed even further if the bids come back over budget, forcing themto seek further financing.

Major reform needed

The Federation of Housing Cooperatives for Metro Montreal (FECHIMM) says it has repeatedly asked the government to adjust what it budgets for co-op housingto reflectcurrent market conditions.

"Thesource of the problem doesn't lie with us," said LouiseConstantin, who speaks forFECHIMM. "It lies with the government because one of the major constraints is the budgets haven't been indexed since 2009."

Money that used to be available for decontamination costs or renovations, even green construction options, hasalsodried up.

Constantinwould like to see the city reserve more land forco-ops, especially in hot ticket areas.

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Municipal Affairs Minister Martin Coiteux said he, too, isunhappy with the gap between the number of co-op units promised and what's actually built.

He wants to overhaul the entire system to try to reduce construction delays.

None of that will come in time for Kevin O'Neil and his family.

With more than 2,500 people on the waiting list for co-op housingin the Plateau, theyare going to have to say goodbye to Mile End.

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They have beenadvised to look to the Saint-Laurent or Montreal North boroughs instead.

"Being able to live somewhere is a right, it's not a privilege," said O'Neil, who has watched the vibe of Mile End change as apartments are bought up, renovated and turned into pricey condos.

"It shouldn't be revoked on a whim because someone decided they can flip where you are for three times the amount all of a sudden because it got hip. That's a little ridiculous."

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