A Portrait of Social and Community Housing in Mauricie, Québec

Housing interventions can be a way to address key concerns for communities. Determining which interventions are appropriate for a particular area requires an understanding of its particular housing landscape and community needs.

The Housing Portrait project in Mauricie, Québec will update the 2010 portrait to reflect the current needs of urban, rural and Indigenous communities. This study will consult groups of marginalized and vulnerable populations whose experiences have not been taken into account before. The new portrait will provide a better overview of the housing and support needs in the region, particularly for people in vulnerable situations.

Project scope and expected outcomes

Changing demographics in the Mauricie region

After the city of Montréal, Mauricie has one of the highest rates of families living in poverty in Québec. The Consortium en développement social de la Mauricie and its partners produced a report on housing for the region in 2010. This was followed by a status report on the region’s social, community and affordable housing in 2017. These studies identified needs that can form the basis of a regional housing strategy.

Mauricie’s demographics, however, are changing. Its senior population continues to grow, and La Tuque’s urban Indigenous population has seen one of the largest increases in Canada. In addition, the attraction of the region influences the housing market and the vacancy rate. The Consortium and its partners want to learn more about these changes through a new housing portrait.

Changing the perception of housing needs

With support from the National Housing Strategy’s Research and Planning Fund, the project aims to document the housing landscape in Mauricie. The data will help improve the collective response to the housing needs of marginalized and vulnerable populations. The project also seeks to change the thinking around what it means to have a thriving, resilient and supportive community.

The project has 5 specific objectives:

• Acquire more in-depth knowledge of the realities and needs of vulnerable populations from their perspective and lived experience.
• Mobilize knowledge acquired by partners and foster a common understanding of the needs of target populations. This will be done by making use of their knowledge and experience.
• Strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration and initiatives in social and community housing for populations with special needs. This will promote accessibility, safety, housing quality and support.
• Increase the involvement of elected officials, decision-makers and socioeconomic partners in social and community housing.
• Develop a 2021-2031 regional inclusion strategy for social and community housing. The strategy will be based on regional and territorial realities, to improve response to the needs of target populations.

A unique analytical approach

The project will take a unique analytical approach that considers different population groups and rural, urban and remote location factors. It will include gender-based plus analysis (GBA+) and consideration will be given to the dynamics of local territories.

Some of the research questions that the project aims to address include:

• What has changed since the last portrait of the Mauricie region was created in 2010? This includes the demographics, socioeconomic aspects, housing inventory, etc.
• What are the current needs of the target populations, as expressed by individuals and as seen by stakeholders? This is based on:
  • identity (age, sex, culture)
  • territorial affiliation (rural, urban, Indigenous community)
  • other data (family status, health status, climate change, etc.)
• What is the role of housing and the needs of priority populations in public, regional and local policies and action plans? The needs of rural, urban and Indigenous communities will be examined.
• What collective actions should be developed to better meet the needs of individuals in vulnerable situations? This will include the views of individuals with lived experience and stakeholders.

Updating the Mauricie Housing Portrait

One of the project’s main goals is to update the existing housing portrait for Mauricie. Although the new draft will be similar to the previous one, a key difference is the inclusion of marginalized populations. It will also improve knowledge of the supply and quality of social housing in Mauricie.

The portrait will also help identify intervention strategies based on the realities and needs of individuals and communities. This includes a social and community housing development strategy for Mauricie for the next 5 to 10 years. This strategy will affirm the role of housing in the regional public policy, including social and community housing.