After agreeing to allow cohabitation in social housing last July, six months later, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) has still not implemented this project, Québec solidaire (QS) said in a press release published on Sunday.
The goal of this initiative was to allow homeless people to have access to vacant rooms in certain public housing units and to occupy them as roommates.
“We made proposals to this effect last spring, around May 2025, and we were listened to and had meetings with the government. At the time, Ms. Duranceau finally agreed to our requests and accepted to open up and allow shared occupancy in public housing. This was followed by a draft regulation,” recalls Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who is responsible for the homelessness issue for QS, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“Then, six months later, we see that nothing has happened, the regulation was never approved, and shared housing in low-income housing is still not available,” notes Cliche-Rivard.
However, since then, there has been a cabinet reshuffle in Quebec City in September. Duranceau is now President of the Treasury Board. Her former responsibilities at Housing have been handed over to Caroline Proulx.
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Québec solidaire is urging the CAQ government to take action due to the urgency of the homelessness situation.
“The homelessness crisis currently affecting Quebec requires rapid and concerted responses, and this is even more true given that we are experiencing a particularly cold winter in 2026, putting thousands of homeless Quebecers at risk. Our duty as elected officials is to take all necessary measures to address this serious humanitarian crisis,” said Cliche-Rivard in the press release.
“What we are essentially denouncing today is the delay, the inefficiency, and the inexplicable nature of the absence, approval, and implementation of this regulation, when we should be doing everything we can to quickly address the homelessness crisis,” added Cliche-Rivard.
The homeless outreach coordinator struggles to explain this inaction and delay. He points out that the government, which seemed to be advocating efficiency a few months ago, has still not taken any action.
“To be honest, last summer I never expected to be talking to you about this in January 2026. I thought this issue was moving forward and that we would be able to quickly evaluate its implementation,” laments Cliche-Rivard.
By issuing this press release, Québec solidaire expects a response from the CAQ and hopes to move forward quickly on this issue.
The same press release notes that the Coroner’s Office “confirmed last fall that 108 people died while homeless in 2024.”
“Québec solidaire believes it is everyone’s duty to reduce this sad toll,” the press release concludes.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
