Abandoned furniture and garbage litters a Montreal sidewalk. (Melissa Kent/CBC)

Housing activists say about 11 Montreal families were left homeless in the wake of Quebec's annual moving day.

July 1 is Quebec's traditional moving day because most rental leases expire on June 30.

The annual event leaves many families scrambling to find new apartments that are appropriate and affordable, said François Saillant, a spokesman for housing group FRAPRU.

This year 11 households moved out of their old apartments and into temporary shelters because they couldn't find a new place, Saillant said.

That number is down compared with five years ago, when rental vacancy in Montreal reached historic lows.

Montreal officials said cleanup efforts following moving day will take a while and cost about $10 million. The annual event usually leaves Montreal's alleys and sidewalks littered with abandoned furniture, mattresses and random castaway items.

About $10 million of Montreal's annual $56-million cleanliness budget is dedicated to post-July 1 cleanup operations, said city executive committee member Marcel Tremblay.

But even with those resources, it will take recycling and garbage trucks about a week to pick up most of the debris, he said.

Questions regarding the disposal of furniture, paint and other household goods can be directed to Montreal's 311 service, Tremblay said.