The idea
When HOJO and UTILE began to collaborate together they recognized a mutual concern over the lack of accessible information available regarding Montreal’s rental market. The consequence this has had on housing conditions has become overwhelmingly apparent, emphasized by the research results obtained by UTILE after they surveyed over 11,000 students from Montreal and Quebec. HOJO, as a frontline housing advocacy service for, faces the daily challenges of serving a particularly vulnerable tenant population who are largely uninformed about their rights and recourses.
L’Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE) is a non-for-profit organisation created for and by students which seeks to empower and develop innovative solutions in order to meet housing needs. In addition to its research projects and the development of student housing coops, UTILE works towards promoting access to housing legal information for the student body at large.
The Concordia Student Union Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank (HOJO) works to empower, educate and support the Concordia community by providing reliable housing and employment information, resources and referrals. HOJO encourage a proactive and holistic approach towards finding adequate housing, part-time and summer employment. The association also advocate for more socially and environmentally just housing policies and practices.
Our Story
01.
Collaboration between UTILE and HOJO is a united front opposed to the degradation of student housing conditions in Montreal. Not only is there a deficit of safe, sanitary, and affordable housing in Montreal in general; our focus on student tenants revealed a drastic shortage of accessible legal information.
02.
We are a dedicated team of students, researchers, volunteers, housing advocates, academics, and community organizers with the collective goal of improving living conditions for student tenants. We believe that the legal information that rules and regulates the housing system should be available to all in an accessible and understandable language. Our team developed an online resource to break down some of the barriers facing student tenants that recognizes our tenant body’s multilingual backgrounds.
03.
Good housing is not only for the rich who can afford luxurious accommodations. By using this site to inform and share your experiences as a student tenant in Montreal you are taking a step towards making a more equitable and just housing a reality. When we can effectively advocate for ourselves in the current system we can then take that knowledge and build the future world we want to live.
The team
We wish to thank each and every team member for their contributions of time and dedication, as well as all the colleagues and friends who have participated in sharing ideas, comments and suggestions! This incredible group of people is responsible for making this Web site come together.
UX Designer
Samuel Mehenni
Web Designer
Keli Chiu
Illustrator & Logo Designer
Philippe Duguay-Blais
Photographer
Baptiste Nobre
Urbanist & Writer
Léa Rioux
David Carpentier-Laberge
French Translator & proofreader
Marta Raposo
Mariane Gilbert
French Proofreader
Laurence Hamelin
English Writer & Proofreader
Hannah Brais
Grace Lee
Anita Lambton
Micheala Holt
Kyle McLoughlin
Chinese Translator & Proofreader
Claire Xie
Ian Zhang
Chinese Translator
Yuming Du
Shuang Shuang
Ziyi Zhou
Legal Review & Column “True Stories”
Sebastian Fernandez
English Editor & Coordinator
Leanne Ashworth
French Editor & General Coordinator
Agnès Gaudreau
Laurent Levesque
Laurent Deslauriers
