Fearing that seniors and vulnerable people will find themselves without housing, Intermediate Resources is requesting more than $139 million in emergency aid in Quebec's upcoming budget.
What is there to know
- The Intermediate Housing Resources Association of Quebec is asking the provincial government to include emergency measures in its next budget.
- Due to the increase in their operating costs since the outbreak of the epidemic, more and more intermediary resources are struggling to make ends meet, the association deplores.
- In particular, the association is asking the government for a bonus of $20 per day for each resident of average means, for a total of about $139 million.
“We have no help. We are worried. I have been in the network for about thirty years and have never seen this before,” says Manon Charpentier, director general of the Association of Intermediate Residence Resources of Quebec (ARIHQ).
Intermediate resources (IR) are living environments that provide services specifically for older adults who are losing their independence, and for people with an intellectual disability, physical disability, mental health problem or substance addiction.
These resources are fully funded by the Quebec government as part of an agreement signed in 2021 and expiring in 2025. However, due to the increase in their operating costs since the pandemic, more and more resources are struggling to make ends meet, the organization regrets.
All housing-related costs have exploded, such as food costs, insurance costs, renovation costs, etc. Which means that those with resources are being slaughtered.
Manon Charpentier, Director General of the Intermediate Accommodation Resources Association of Quebec
The association asks the Quebec government to include emergency measures in its next budget to maintain the quality of services provided to residents.
“We have to find the space.”
In order to meet the increase in operating costs, the association is asking the government for a bonus of $20 per day per resident for all existing intermediate resources. Currently, intermediate resources receive an average of $140 per day per resident. This increase represents a total amount of approximately $139 million, according to ARIHQ.
M saysI The carpenter.
If housing is closed, we cannot ask people to return to live with their parents or go to hospital. You have to find space.
Manon Charpentier, Director General of the Intermediate Accommodation Resources Association of Quebec
She's noticing more and more owners operating at a loss. “They are finding it difficult to keep their heads above water. We cannot wait until 2025 to reach a new agreement. »
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More and more elderly and vulnerable people need air-conditioned living environments, but the number of places in medium-sized resources is stagnant, the association regrets.
“Our environment is no longer developing, because construction costs have risen dramatically, and this means putting out tenders [restent sans réponse] No new construction is being carried out. “We need to reboot the machine and build resources,” says MI The carpenter.
The association requires a bonus of $10 per day per resident for any new space created as an intermediate resource.
“Promoters no longer want to build intermediary resources, because with the money we receive, it is no longer enough,” says the manager. The association hopes that this temporary assistance will remain in effect until the signing of the new agreement in 2025.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), which called for the response, said it had been informed of some difficulties relating to the funding of intermediary resources. “We are currently analyzing how to find effective and lasting solutions to the shortage of accommodation in both public and private networks. However, it is too early to comment further on this topic,” said Marie-Pierre Blair from Media Relations.
Currently, the government provides mid-range funding equivalent to a maximum value of $211,000 per door, compared to more than $1 million per door for construction of seniors' homes, according to the association.
The Ministry, for its part, points out that construction costs vary according to the standards and requirements of the residential environment and organization of services, as well as according to the clinical needs of users, and calls on them not to “compare them directly.”
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