Aging and housing. Residential precariousness and gentrification in Montreal’s central neighbourhoods
Public policies on aging all aim to keep as many aging people as possible at home. How can one age in one’s own home, in a central Montreal neighbourhood, if one is a victim of eviction or repossession? This article explores the dynamics and realities surrounding residential precariousness among low-income elderly tenants who participate in some way in the activities of a housing committee and who reside in one of four gentrifying central Montreal neighbourhoods (Villeray, La Petite-Patrie, Rosemont and Plateau-Mont-Royal). Based on a field study conducted as part of a thesis in urban studies at INRS-UCS, this contribution demonstrates the importance of taking into account the rental relationship as a factor influencing residential precariousness and, consequently, the ability of aging people to remain in their homes.