General description
- Acquisition date: April 4, 2008
- Renovation: October 30, 2008 to May 30, 2009
- Occupancy: June 1st, 2009
- Amenities: 20 rooms with bed, fixed furniture, storage spaces, kitchenette with hotplates, sink and fridge and 2 community spaces
The project’s objectives
- To offer 20 furnished rooms (bed, kitchenette) in a healthy and functional environment;
- To provide tenants with housing conditions that improve their safety, independence, residential stability and promote their integration into society;
- To develop a sense of belonging and integration into community life
- Provide support and community support services to residents to strengthen their residential stability and social reintegration.
- Save rooming houses whose durability is highly compromised.
Occupancy rate: 95%
Project development
Vilavi acquired on April 4, 2008, a rooming house located at 1271-1275, rue Saint-André in the Ville-Marie borough, in downtown Montreal. At the time of purchase, the building comprises 22 rooms spread over four floors. The project was part of the corporation’s mission, in addition to safeguarding a rooming house to meet the needs of single people and low income, thus supporting a joint policy of the City of Montreal and the Government of Quebec.
Following the acquisition of the building, Vilavi team, with the support of the Atelier Habitation Montréal team, worked to support the temporary relocation of the tenants for the period of the work, in addition to working for the construction phase.
The building has undergone a major renovation with the development of 20 rooms and two community spaces, the changing of doors and windows, the roof covering, the installation of a laundry and the development outdoor spaces. All plumbing, ventilation and electrical systems have been redone. In addition, each room has been equipped with a bed and fixed furniture with storage space, equipment of a kitchenette including hotplates, sink and fridge.
The bathrooms and bath rooms have been redone and refitted. The work began on October 30, 2008 and ended on May 30, 2009. Old and new tenants were able to occupy their homes as of June 1, 2009.
Several meetings were also held with neighborhood stakeholders, members of residents’ associations and neighbors of the project to provide information on the objectives of the project. Additional information was given to both elected representatives and interested persons in the neighborhood.
To ensure the project’s integration into the community, Vilvi became a member of the Faubourg St-Laurent concertation forum in September 2008. Dianova officials participated in numerous activities organized by RAPSIM to best integrate the project in an effort to address the critical lack of social and affordable housing, particularly in rooming houses, in the Montreal area.
The entire project was made possible by obtaining funding from the three levels of government: Accès Logis Program Component 3 of the Société d’habitation du Québec, the participation of the City of Montreal and the Strategy Program of the homelessness partnerships (HPS) of the federal government.
Once in operation, all units are accredited to the Rent Supplement Program managed by the Municipal Housing Office. People with low incomes can benefit from this help and pay only 25% of their income.