July 1st: Soraya Martinez Ferrada Calls for Stronger Community Support to Tackle Housing Crisis

Montreal, July 2, 2025 – Soraya Martinez Ferrada, mayoral candidate for Montreal and leader of Ensemble Montréal, announced new commitments today to prevent tenants from ending up on the street or having to live in hotels for months in the aftermath of July 1st.

Commitments to Community Action
In addition to promising an all-hands-on-deck approach and a cultural shift to increase the housing supply, Soraya Martinez Ferrada commits $1 million to empower community organizations and expand successful housing initiatives,  such as:

• Reinforcing La Maison du Père’s Rent Assistance Bank, a pilot project that has already helped 59 people avoid homelessness in just one year. The program provides interest-free loans covering up to three months of unpaid rent, repayable over five years;
  
• Creating a Housing Bank, in collaboration with community organizations such as Welcome Hall Mission, to reserve the most affordable units on the market and transfer the leases to nearly 100 households without housing on July 1st;
  
• Creating a Municipal Rental Registry.

These measures build on recent proposals made by Soraya Martinez and the Ensemble Montréal team to increase housing availability, including:

• Abolishing the “Bylaw for a Diverse Metropolis,” which currently slows housing construction in Montreal;
• Reducing red tape and accelerating permit approvals;
• Fast-tracking the construction of social and affordable housing on city-owned land;
  Minimizing construction costs and providing better support to non-profits developing affordable and social housing.

Quotes:

“As the future housing mayor, I want July 1 to no longer be a tragedy where families end up in hotels for months or on the street. These are preventable situations. Under our leadership, the City of Montreal will be focused on solutions and will work in partnership with community organizations to offer at least 200 households each year what we all deserve: stability, dignity, and a place to call home,” said Soraya Martinez Ferrada, mayoral candidate and leader of Ensemble Montréal.

“Community organizations are on the front lines. They see the crisis up close. Most importantly, they have solutions that work. And when an initiative proves successful, it’s our responsibility to support it. That’s exactly what Ensemble Montréal is committed to doing, to ensure fewer tenants experience a nightmare on July 1,” said Julien Hénault-Ratelle, Ensemble Montréal’s housing spokesperson.

“Faced with a growing housing crisis, and with two-thirds of Montrealers renting, the City has a duty to help those who are just one paycheck away from homelessness. An Ensemble Montréal administration will be a financial partner of choice, supporting innovative initiatives that help tenants achieve greater stability,” emphasized Louis-Riel district city councillor Alba Zuniga Ramos.