Group's struggle to replace bus is symptom of Quebec's public funding shortfall, advocate says

A Montreal non-profit organization is in need of a new bus so it can continue to deliver a range of services and harm-reduction supplies to those living in precarious situations across the city.

L'Anonyme already has a roaming six-wheeler on the road all week long, but the bus, with its funky, eye-catching paint job, has seen better days.

It's more than 10 years old, has about 215,000 kilometres on the odometer and is a struggle to keep on the road, said Kim Brière-Charest, an outreach co-ordinator with the organization.

"It's missing a hub-cap. It's missing some paint. And about once a week it's in the garage getting fixed. So L'Anonyme is fundraising to get a new one," she said.

It will cost about $500,000 to buy a new bus and customize it for mobile community service. So far, the government isn't offering to fund the purchase.

Brière-Charest drives the bus seven days a week, connecting with drug users, sex workers and people experiencing homelessness, offering them psychosocial support and referrals to local resources.

She also hands out safety supplies such as condoms, clean syringes and naloxone kits that can be used in the event of an opioid overdose.

While the organization gets some government funding, it is forced to turn to the public for help raising the needed funds for big expenses like a bus.

Lack of government support worrisome, advocate says

That lack of government funding for crucial community health services that strive to prevent disease, illness and death is a growing problem, said Jean-François Mary.

He heads CACTUS Montréal, a community organization that offers a supervised injection site and other services to drug users, sex workers, and trans people.

Organizations like CACTUS and L'Anonyme rely on the same funding source that, allocated by the Quebec Ministry of Health largely to combat sexually transmitted diseases, has not been increased for some two decades, Mary said.

He compares it to a pie, saying organizations need more slices every year, but the province refuses to bake a larger pie.

At the same time, the rate of inflation and the demand for such services has skyrocketed, he said, meaning the government's contribution barely covers salaries.

Despite being an essential community health service, public funding isn't enough to help with organizations' overhead costs such as rent, electricity or vehicles, he said.

CACTUS sees some 70,000 visits per year and hands out a half million needles, he said. And these days, community workers are dealing with a severe uptick in overdoses — something never seen before, he said.

"Now we are in a situation where we have the responsibility of keeping people alive," Mary said. "This is very different and this needs to be taken into account by the government. The situation has totally changed."

Services like L'Anonyme's bus are an essential part of the public health network, he said, but still can't get the needed funding to effectively provide those services.

Half a million dollars needed to buy bus

L'Anonyme has raised roughly $30,000 so far to buy and customize a new bus.

Besides reaching out to the community, the organization has also reached out to corporate partners, said Guillaume Faucher, their communications co-ordinator.

"There's a chance we'll have some good news to announce within the next few weeks on that front," said Faucher, who said they are also reaching out to all levels of government.

The Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough said it expects to reach a decision on whether or not to fund the project by next week, said Julie Bellemare, a spokesperson for the borough.

The bus travels to underserved pockets of Montreal, mostly in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, downtown and the southwest area. People can rely on the mobile support centre as a supervised consumption site, and for fentanyl testing kits that can be used to check for the potentially fatal opioid.

The organization would like to offer more services, such as a mobile drug testing that would allow people to know exactly what they are consuming.

The bus is also up for sale in case anyone is interested, but only if they're willing to fork over $500,000 for it, Brière-Charest said.

It has counterspace and plenty of drawers and storage for supplies. A buyer could take it all, as is, with everything inside.

"It's really an important bus," she said. "It has been rolling around town since our opening in 1989, but it's our third bus."