The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that a little over a week after Quebec's unofficial moving day, 71 households in Montreal remain in emergency housing -- almost twice as many as last year when there were 40 in that situation. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says most of these households were left without a home in the lead-up to July 1, when many leases expire in the province. They're staying in rooms paid for by the city, including in hotels or units belonging to community organizations. "It's always catastrophic, the fact that we have 71 households in emergency accommodations," said Rouzier Metellus, director at Montreal's housing authority. "It's people who, on the personal level, can't find a network, or their network can't support them anymore." This increase is set against the backdrop of rising housing costs in Montreal, where affordability continues to deteriorate despite improving nationally. According to a recent study by RBC Economics, Montreal is a housing outlier in Canada, with an affordability measure the bank said hasn't been as bad since 1990. Advocates say the situation highlights the need for more affordable permanent solutions for tenants, including social housing.