This study by BSH community partner, Vivre en Ville, examines the systemic obstacles hindering non-profit housing construction in the Greater Montreal Area following the end of Quebec’s AccèsLogis program. Through collaboration with affected housing developers, researchers identified key financial, political, and institutional barriers that limit subsidized housing production during an ongoing housing crisis. The report reveals that rising development costs, rigid financing conditions, and government policies create significant challenges for non-profit developers who lack the resources to navigate complex funding requirements.
Key recommendations include establishing reliable pre-development funding to help projects reach ‘shovel-ready’ status required by most government programs, implementing differentiated zoning across the entire metropolitan area to unlock development potential, and fostering closer collaboration between non-profit developers and public authorities. The study emphasizes that creating a favourable environment for non-profit housing requires a comprehensive approach to housing and urban planning, with targeted actions that give non-profit organizations competitive advantages in an increasingly challenging development landscape.
Read the Full ReportThis research is part of the Overcoming Obstacles to Non-Market Housing in Montreal project, led by BSH’s community partner, Vivre en Ville.
The Balanced Supply of Housing is a SSHRC-CMHC funded community-based research project at UBC that focuses on land use and housing financialization across Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
