87 private seniors' homes closed in Quebec in 2024: survey

More than 1,000 Quebecers have been evicted from private seniors' homes over a 12-month period, leaving them with fewer options during a housing crisis, according to a province-wide survey.

The Association québécoise des retraités des secteurs publics et parapublics (AQRP) showed 1,400 seniors were evicted following the closure of 87 residences between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024.

Quebec’s Montérégie region had the most closures, with 15 establishments closing their doors, resulting in 173 seniors losing their homes.

The closures occurred despite a three-year moratorium on evicting seniors because of renovations. The association says the moratorium hasn’t solved the crisis and it wants a new model for senior care.

Numbers down from last year

Compared to the same period last year, the number of evictions across the province decreased by 44 per cent. Between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2023, there were 2,557 seniors who lost their homes.

“Admittedly, the number of evictions has dropped drastically, a sign that better care is being taken to relocate displaced seniors. However, RPA closures have remained unchanged for a year [...] Each closure uproots seniors, plunging them into deep distress,” said AQRP provincial president Paul-René Roy.

To stem the bleeding, the AQRP is proposing that RPAs be transformed into community housing managed by homecare companies.

“In this vision, solidarity takes precedence over profit, local services are easily accessible and residents become much more than mere tenants: they become active members of a genuine community rooted in mutual aid and collective life,” the association said.

“When an RPA closes, it’s not just an address that disappears, but a whole network of life that collapses. Seniors find themselves uprooted, forced to pay more for accommodation far from their community,” Roy added.

With files from CTV News Montreal’s Max Harrold and Noovo Info