Homelessness situation in Milton-Parc must remain priority for city: ombudsperson report
Posted June 13, 2023 11:27 am.
The “humanitarian crisis” involving the homeless population in the Milton-Parc area is progressing, Montreal’s ombudsperson says, but more work needs to be done.
Ombudsperson Nadine Mailloux tabled her annual report for 2022 at city council Monday.
Mailloux says Milton-Parc still needs to be a focus for city officials.
The neighbourhood has seen several homeless people camping out on the streets, which led the ombudsperson to release a report last year entitled “Do not look away.”
The ombudsperson then made five recommendations to help the situation. Two of those five have since been met, Mailloux said Monday.
That includes the creation of a “good neighbour” committee, which involves area residents in the search for solutions.
Mailloux says she believes the city has shows it’s committed to meeting the three remaining recommendations, including emergency accommodation resource for the Inuit community; and the establishment of an intergovernmental strategic committee.
The ombudsperson’s office is undergoing a second quarterly follow-up with the city this month, “and will continue at this rate until its recommendations are fully respected.”
WATCH: Advocates calling for solutions for Milton-Parc homeless community (2021)
In total, the Montreal ombudsperson office opened 2,308 files in 2022 pertaining to public works, nuisances, property damage and more. It launched 219 inquires, and a total 10 recommendations were issued – five were accepted by the City of Montreal and five were rejected by the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
The topics of the files opened were various in nature, from substandard housing to homelessness, to the impacts of construction sites in Old Montreal.
