Behind the scenes of Resilience Montreal’s new permanent shelter for the homeless
A cedar bath, a wall of living green plants and a terrace are just some of the amenities that will be offered here, at Resilience Montreal’s new permanent shelter for the homeless.
What used to be an antique store on Atwater will become a wellness centre for the most vulnerable – located less than a 10-minute walk from Cabot Square.
Every inch of this new shelter will be packed with resources to provide the unhoused a safe space to call home.
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“The goal for this new space is to bring essentially a double dose of dignity to the most marginalized population.” David Chapman, executive director with Resilience Montreal.
David Chapman. (Photo Credit: Sasha Teman)
“We’ll have a lot of wood, stone and fire everywhere. We’ll have activities where the homeless can be employed in small ways to do things like clean the neighborhood and improve the neighborhood invisible ways. And so the end goal will be essentially an organism of healing,” Chapman.
The space which Chapman estimates will cover a total of 10,000 square feet and was picked due to its ideal location.
“By 2019, it was obvious that there was an increase in the death rate among the homeless population near Cabot Square and from that awareness of this increase in and pain and suffering for the homeless community came the beginning of Resilience Montreal in 2019 November,” he explained.
“So we’ve been operating for three years and while we’ve been operating, we’ve been planning for a permanent space near Cabot Square, which has been the goal from the start.”
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Chapman collaborated with Mohawk designers and architects to guarantee a positive space for the unhoused to heal.
Substance abuse treatments will be available, nurses and social workers from CLSCs will assist with clients and a room equipped with audio and video recording equipment will give the homeless a safe space to report cases of sexual assault.
“In the space where we’re standing right now will be the healing room. The entire space from top to bottom will be oriented in that direction.”
Through outreach with the neighbors has been a challenge, Chapman promises the centre will offer the Atwater neighbourhood a positive contribution.
