Société d'habitation du Québec
Statement of Services to Citizens

Our mission

Our initiatives

Our partners

Our commitments

Your recourses

Our mission

The Société d’habitation du Québec is the principal housing agency in Québec, and pursues a dual social and economic mission entrusted to it by the Québec government in 1967.

It fulfils its mission by offering low rental housing units to low-income households or helping them to obtain suitable housing at an affordable price. It also helps to maintain the condition of existing housing units in rural and urban areas. At the same time, it encourages community housing initiatives and fosters both the development of Québec’s housing industry and recognition of its expertise.

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Our initiatives

The Société d’habitation du Québec works primarily with low-income households by offering programs that provide:

• Access to good quality housing at affordable prices;

• Secondary financial assistance for seniors and families with children who are forced to spent too large a percentage of their income on housing;

• Financial assistance with home alterations and renovations;

• Financial and technical assistance for community organizations and companies in the housing field.

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Our partners

To implement its programs at the local and regional levels, the Société d'habitation du Québec works with a number of partners, including:

• Municipalities;

• Housing bureaus;

• Technical resource groups, cooperatives and non-profit housing organizations;

• Housing sector community organizations;

• The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation;

• Industry stakeholders;

• Financial institutions.

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Our commitments

Respect and courtesy

Our staff will treat you with respect in every situation. We therefore promise to:

• Respond promptly and politely to your queries;

• Listen carefully;

• Make sure we have understood your needs;

• Use clear language.

Availability and efficiency

If you contact a member of our staff by telephone, he or she will answer your call within five rings, stating his or her name. If the person is not available, we promise to:

• Give you an opportunity to leave a message;

• Respond to your message within one working day;

• Notify you if the person will be absent for more than 24 hours;

• Give you an opportunity to speak to someone else.

We offer an Information Service, which is available throughout Québec. When you contact this service by telephone, we promise to:

• Provide you with full information on our programs and services, along with clear instructions on what to do to obtain a document, register for a program or receive a service;

• Refer you immediately to an individual or organization better able to fulfil your request, where applicable.

When you ask our Information Service for information by fax, mail or e-mail, we promise to:

• Send you the information or an acknowledgement of receipt within one working day from receipt of your request.

Information is also available on our website. We promise to:

• Maintain a website that contains up-to-date information on our programs, services and publications.

Diligence and fairness

We promise to process your requests diligently and fairly, and will always explain and give reasons for our decisions.

Confidentiality

We guarantee the confidentiality of your dealings with the Société d’habitation du Québec, and will protect all information concerning you in accordance with the laws currently in force in Québec.

This Declaration of Service came into force on October 1, 2002, and is part of our ongoing effort to improve the quality of our customer services. We encourage you to send us your comments and suggestions.

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Your recourses

If you are dissatisfied

If you wish to make a complaint or comment, please contact our Complaints Office verbally or in writing.

We promise to give a clear, personalized answer to every request within 20 working days.

If we are unable to give a full and final answer within that period, we will notify you of this fact and inform you of the date on which our answer will be available.

Please note that the Complaints Office is unable to act if your case has been brought before a court.

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