Mental health services for homeless people are expanding to Quebec City. The mayor says it's just the start

Teams of psychiatrists, nurses and social workers will soon be hired in Quebec City to help homeless people with mental health issues access services and, ultimately, housing.

The program, known as PRISM, is being expanded to the provincial capital by the Quebec government after being launched in Montreal a decade ago.

Dr. Olivier Farmer, a psychiatrist at Notre-Dame Hospital in Montreal and the founder of PRISM, said the program fills a gap in what is available to people experiencing homelessness.

People coping with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, aren't always in a position to access the services available, Farmer said in an interview on CBC's Quebec AM.

A team of mental health professionals can serve as the "key to open that lock," so that they can work toward getting an apartment and "get connected to services again," he said.

Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant said the provincial government is putting $1 million toward the Quebec City program.

Under the initiative, people with mental illness will have a place to stay with Maison de Lauberivière, a Quebec City shelter, for eight to 12 weeks.

During that time, they will have access to ongoing care by a psychiatrist and other health professionals.

A total of 24 beds at the shelter will be set aside for the program.

"What we're doing is helping people with mental health problems who are in homelessness have access to services," Carmant said.

"Often they cannot have access because either they cannot go there because of their behaviour or often they don't want to go there because they don't feel accepted."

Quebec AM11:41Ten years later, PRISM program shows its value

A program started in Montreal to accompany homeless people with mental health problems is getting funding to start up in Quebec City, but its success depends upon authorities solving the city's housing crisis. Guest host Angelica Montgomery spoke with Dr. Olivier Farme, the founder of the PRISM program, about how it works and why it's been successful in getting people back on their feet.

Premier needs to do more, mayor says

Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand said the new program is a welcome step, but isn't enough to address what has become a major problem in his city, and others across the province.

Marchand called on Premier François Legault to do more to help and said the fight against homelessness should be a priority for the provincial government.

"Now more than ever, given the immense challenges we are facing, we need the premier to rally around this," he said in a speech Thursday, the day after PRISM was announced.

The umbrella group representing Quebec's municipal governments, known by its French acronym UMQ, also issued a statement Thursday saying the province needs to do more on homelessness.

The comments echo those of Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who has pressed the province to help deal with a growing number of people on the street.

On Friday, the federal and provincial governments jointly announced the upcoming construction of a 23-room building in Quebec City —  a project undertaken by the John Howard Society of Quebec for people at risk of homelessness or experiencing residential instability.

The announcement says $1.8 billion in funding, $900 million each from the federal and Quebec governments through separate grants, will support this project and 21 others to accelerate housing construction and help those in need.

WATCH | Montreal shopping mall plays kids' song to prevent unhoused from loitering:

Blasting Baby Shark to keep out homeless people is just the latest tactic, advocates say

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The Complexe Desjardins mall in downtown Montreal has been playing the song in its garage and stairwells to deter what they call unwelcome guests. It’s a move that has drawn criticism from advocates for unhoused people as well as the city.

For his part, Carmant said PRISM could be expanded to Val-d'Or and Sherbrooke next year. The program has proven successful in Montreal.

Among those who participated, 63 per cent of people were housed after being discharged from a PRISM shelter, research shows.

An even greater number — 85 per cent — remained engaged in outpatient or community services support.

The number of people experiencing homelessness has spiked across the province since the pandemic.

An estimated 10,000 people were homeless during the last homeless count in October 2022, up more than 40 per cent from four years prior.

Quebec City in particular has struggled to deal with a rise in people living on the street. One shelter, Répit Basse-Ville, reopened earlier this month and was immediately at capacity, with 110 people staying there the first night.