Square Urbania: 90 new social housing units in Gatineau available by fall 2022
Sonia Roy
The Square Urbania building, which is still under construction on de la Cité-Jardin Street, will be able to welcome its first residents in the fall of 2022. The announcement was made, on June 20, by the Honorable Steven MacKinnon, Member of Parliament for Gatineau and Chief Government Whip, Mathieu Lévesque, Member of Parliament for Chapleau and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Justice, as well as Daniel Champagne, municipal councilor for the Versant district, Chair of the Commission du développement du territoire et de l'habitation and acting mayor for the occasion. This alliance between the federal and provincial governments and the City of Gatineau will add $12.7 million to the project, which represents a total investment of more than $20.4 million.
The Square Urbania project, initiated by Habitations de l'Outaouais Métropolitain, will see funds from the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ) added to existing funds through the AccèsLogis Québec program. The Square, which will include 90 social and affordable housing units for people aged 55 and over in Gatineau, will also be financed by the Rapid Re-housing Initiative, which comes from the Canada-Quebec Agreement on this subject. Also, 72 of the 90 future tenants of the building will be eligible for the Société d'habitation du Québec's Rent Supplement Program, which will allow them to pay a maximum of 25% of their income for housing. The first residents of Square Urbania will be able to move in as early as the fall of 2022 into the building, located on the edge of de l'Hôpital Boulevard in the Versant district.
During this official announcement in the Cité-Jardin Park, which borders the Square Urbania under construction, Steven MacKinnon, Member of Parliament for Gatineau, explained that "We know, here in Gatineau, that we are indeed experiencing a housing shortage - a shortage of all kinds of housing, but especially a shortage of affordable housing - and the Government of Canada is here [...] Today, we are here to salute the construction of this beautiful building behind us: Square Urbania." Referring to the collaboration between the three levels of government (federal, provincial and municipal), he added, through a press release: "The Square Urbania project is a great example of what can be achieved when all levels of government work together for the well-being of our community.". "Nearly two years ago, the City of Gatineau declared a state of housing emergency [...] Our occupancy rate is currently around 1%. Gatineau has the highest average rent of any metropolitan area in Quebec. The housing situation is worrisome [...]. When we hear initiatives like this morning's, it's excellent news and it's a first step towards many other steps that will be taken by the City of Gatineau," concluded Daniel Champagne, President of the Commission du développement du territoire et de l'habitation de Gatineau. Anne Robinson, Executive Director of Habitation de l'Outaouais Métropolitain, as well as Jean Pigeon, member of the Board of Directors of the same organization, were present at this press conference.
France Bélisle, mayor of Gatineau, was not present at the brief conference but added, via a press release: "With socio-demographic changes, immigration and our cross-border situation, housing is at the very heart of our municipal issues. The announcement of the construction of 90 social and affordable housing units in Square Urbania is very important for Gatineau. I would like to thank both levels of government, Habitations de l'Outaouais métropolitain and the developer for being good partners with the City of Gatineau to accelerate the delivery of housing on our territory."
Photo caption: (from left to right) Jean Pigeon, Steven MacKinnon, Daniel Champagne, Mathieu Lévesque & Anne Robinson (1) /// Steven MacKinnon, Mathieu Lévesque & Daniel Champagne (2)
Photo credit: Sonia Roy