Subsidized Housing Crunch Near Crisis Point

Aamna Mohammad, her brother, Yaaser, and her mother, Azra Akhtar, at their family's apartment in Côte des Neiges. They have been waiting for subsidized housing for 13 years. Photograph by: PIERRE OBENDRAUF THE GAZETTE, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Côte des neiges. One-quarter of tenants spend over half income on shelter.

Aamna Mohammad, on the verge of becoming a teenager, simply wants a wallet to carry her Opus public-transit pass.

"All my friends have one," she respectfully explained to her mom.

No way.

For this 12-year-old, even a $1 item from the dollar store lies outside the family budget.

Azra Akhtar handed down that decision yesterday afternoon, with a regretful and obviously well-practised "No.'' "Besides," the 52-year-old Côte des Neiges mother added to her daughter, "who needs a wallet when there's nothing to put in it?" It was humour with a hard edge. Money is tight - and rent is the first item to be paid.

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My Comment: This is the dumping ground for many immigrants who are waiting for an assessment on their residency status, or have been given it. There will always be a crisis point here.