Montreal to extend emergency shelter services with help from Quebec

As winter nears, Quebec will provide more funding for Montreal to support people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.

Montreal's local health agency — the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal — will receive more than $9.6 million for the cause, the Minister responsible for social services, Lionel Carmant, said Friday morning alongside Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.

The announcement follows recent observations carried out in several municipalities, which recorded an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness.

Funds will be used to open more emergency shelters in the city, with the aim of increasing the number of beds available and allowing organizations to be open 24/7, all year round.

"It helps support social cohabitation," Plante said. "It allows us to keep people safe longer, to better manage comings and goings, but also to offer services."

In the short term, 188 new beds will be made available to people experiencing homelessness. Most of them will be located in organizations that have agreed to increase their reception capacity.

Carmant also promised 200 new supervised housing units in the coming weeks.

The number of people experiencing homelessness has surged in Montreal since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, recalled the mayor.

Growing demand for shelters

One of the organizations that will benefit from the funds is the Centre des femmes de convictions de Montréal, where the news conference took place.

Located in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough, the shelter currently has 15 places, but will double its capacity in a few weeks to accommodate up to 30 women.

Despite the additional support, founding president Chrisla Desty-Thémistocle foresees having to turn down requests.

"Since we started, we are always full," she said. "Even if we had 100 places, I think we would still turn people away because the demand is always growing."

For Martin Raymond, the deputy director-general of the Société de développment social, the financial support will allow the organization to move its operations from the Guy-Favreau Complexe to the former seniors' residence Les Jardins Gordon, in Verdun.

Around 50 rooms offering 24-hour services should become available by Dec. 1.

Sam Watts, CEO of Welcome Hall Mission, says the funds will help sustain the temporary services offered at the Hôtel-Dieu site, which has accommodated about 200 people so far.