Fair Housing: A Right, Not an Option

For newly-arrived immigrants to Canada, housing can be a pitfall. With a limited knowledge of their legal rights, many people don't complain if the heat goes out, repairs go undone or rodents take up residence.

In Montreal, these newcomers have a place to turn for help. It's called the Park Extension Action Committee (known by its French acronym CAPE). For more than 15 years, CAPE has promoted fair housing in Park Extension, the traditional first home for many immigrants to the city.

A Need for Public Housing

Now, CAPE is educating and mobilizing residents to create more public housing in the neighbourhood. The need is real: more than 30 per cent of Park Extension households spend more than 50 per cent of their monthly income on rent.

In the past year, CAPE has organized meetings where residents learn about different types of public housing. CAPE is also passing out information door-to-door and setting up kiosks at local events. Thanks to these efforts, the community has shown a growing awareness of and commitment to the issue. Last year, more than 400 Park Extension residents signed a petition demanding increased federal spending on public housing.

Helping a Community to Help Itself

Over the next year, CAPE will move beyond education and start helping residents create new public housing. The first step will be to identify and then train "community leaders," people with the interest and skills necessary to make public housing a reality. With CAPE's support, these leaders will eventually guide local residents through all aspects of a project, from identifying potential tenants to overseeing the renovation (or construction) of a building.

For more information, contact:

Martin Bazinet
Projects Coordinator
Park Extension Action Committee
7745 Champagneur Avenue, Suite 102
Montreal, QC H3N 2K2
Tel: (514) 278-6028
Fax: (514) 278-0900
cape@cam.org
www.cam.org/~cape