Widespread modern homelessness has grown in Canada since the 1980s as the result of federal policies, including disinvestment in public housing and social supports as well as lax regulations around real estate speculation. The patchwork of emergency homelessness services that emerged in response was unable to address the root of the crisis, and in 2007, the United Nations declared homelessness in Canada a “national emergency.” The COVID-19 pandemic has recently multiplied homelessness in Montréal and across the country, highlighting the degree of housing precarity faced by too many households. 

This report focuses on the homelessness and Indigenous housing crisis in Montréal (Québec), it highlights policy recommendations relevant across Canada and perhaps globally. Recommendations from local organizations, researchers, and community consultations all point to the need for Indigenous-focused social housing, and greater investment from all levels of government.