Fresh funds for home renovation and adaptation

Laval’s share of the provincial allocation for home renovation and adaptation for 2008-2009 has nearly doubled from funds allocated in 2006-2007.

The $2 million is additional to the financial aid already allocated for projects within the Quebec housing programs Accès-Logis (Housing Access) and Logement abordable (Affordable housing). These two programs make it possible to build housing units for low-income households. The allocated funds contribute to the building of housing projects by defraying the costs of construction.

The rest of the additional funds allocated by Quebec, $146,000, will be injected into the Logements adaptés pour ainés autonomes (Adapted Housing for Autonomous Seniors). "This program was devised to facilitate the daily lives of low-income seniors 65 and over,” explains the mayor’s press attaché, Amélie Cliche.

Financial aid can reach $3500 per household, provided the work is done by a contractor holding appropriate permits from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. Examples of admissible installations include handrails along corridors and stairs, bathtub support bars, and easier-to-use faucets and handles. With each request averaging $3000, the $146,000 could easily help about 50 households, say city officials.

It's a modest sum of money, considering the needs, says Laval-des-Rapides MNA Alain Paquet. “At the public hearings on the status of seniors, held in September, people talked of it, so we know the need exists,” he says. Mr. Paquet specifies the funds allocated by the Quebec Housing Corporation (SHQ) for different regions are based on amounts utilized in previous years.

“It's calculated on past precedent, but that doesn’t mean the needs aren't there. It’s an invitation to plan in order to ensure future benefits,” he suggests.

Due to a shortage of housing units for those with reduced autonomy, these kinds of funds are most welcome, says Gilles Fournier, spokesperson for DIRA Laval, an advocacy group that lobbies for the defense of the rights of seniors. “In truth, many seniors simply do not have enough money to relocate,” he notes.