Housing situation still precarious in many Quebec regions ahead of Moving Day

Granby resident Marilène Bédard has looked "everywhere" to find an apartment for herself and her two teenage children: Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, rental sites, word of mouth, and even newspaper ads.

But so far, the only available unit she has found is not ready until December, and she hasn't been able to secure a lease for it yet.

Bédard separated from her partner a little more than a month ago, forcing her to find a new place to stay. But the timing of the split has made her search more difficult because it happened so close to Moving Day, she said.

"There aren't any units available — at all. One shows up on Marketplace and the minute you try to communicate with the [landlord], you're told it's already rented," she said.

Until she finds a new place, Bédard and her ex are taking turns living at their former house and caring for their 13- and 14 year-old. On the weeks when he gets the house, Bédard stays with her parents.

Bédard's challenge to find housing is shared by many people in Quebec's regions, just hours ahead of Moving Day.

In Trois-Rivières, some 23 families are still looking for a place to live and will likely need to stay in temporary accommodations set up by the Red Cross, according to the city's municipal housing office.

In Rimouski, where the average vacancy rate is 0.2 per cent, the municipal housing office is struggling to find permanent housing for some 25 people still on the waiting list.

Daniel Bélanger, who works for the housing office, said many of these people are currently living with friends or relatives because there is nothing available on the market.

The Lower St. Lawrence city is "clearly one of the places where the situation is the worst," he said. "It's really hard for people to move."

Some 155 residents have contacted Rimouski's housing office for help since the start of the year, which is a lot for a city of about 50,000 people, Bélanger said.

He said last year the office was still capable of helping those who came to them, but that's no longer the case.

"At the moment we're not even able to guide them, we couldn't even tell them for example that we're sending a general email to people [saying] 'here are all the available units that were posted today,'" he said.

"Right now, if a person doesn't react within the five or 10 minutes that a unit is posted as available, it's over," he said.