"Giving Everyone a Roof and a Seat at the Table" in Verdun

An initiative supported by the Collective Impact Project

Since 2016, the Foundation of Greater Montréal, eight other major foundations and three strategic partners have supported the Collective Impact Project (CIP). This collective endeavour operated by Centraide of Greater Montreal comes to the aid of local actors and initiatives that improve the well-being of Montreal residents. Particularly, 17 Montreal neighbourhoods, including five where more intensive work is being done, are targeted. The foundations’ collective commitment to disburse $23 million over five years to back this strategic action has enabled the fight against poverty and social exclusion to be carried out in a sustained fashion. It also helped develop communities that were more resilient and better organized when the COVID-19 crisis broke out.

A community project in Verdun

In Verdun, an initiative known as Giving Everyone a Roof and a Seat at the Table is one of the collective actions CIP supports: It works to help vulnerable people stay in the neighbourhood. This initiative is carried out mainly through the activity of the Citizen Action Committee of Verdun (CACV), which aims to develop subsidized housing in order to guarantee access to adequate and affordable lodging for low-income individuals.

Since the launch of the CIP, CACV has in particular partnered with the Société locative d’investissement et de développement social (SOLIDES), which made an initial purchase of an eight-unit building on Woodland Street in late 2019. Subsequently, in December of 2020, the City of Montreal announced the granting of $2.1 million in financial aid for the acquisition and renovation of two other residential buildings in Lachine and Verdun.

The City’s announcement that it will use its pre-emption right to buy two lots in their borough, with the intention to build over 250 community and social housing units, is the latest major step towards giving everyone a roof and a seat at the table in Verdun. The progress that has been made in recent years will help keep rents more affordable, while also enhancing the quality of the units, which will result in a long-term benefit for the neighbourhood and its residents.