Some Montrealers evicted from encampment under Ville-Marie Expressway still unhoused

After almost a week, since this encampment under Montreal’s Ville-Marie Expressway, was dismantled – many who were evicted are still unhoused, some in worse conditions, something advocates say they warned of.

“As predicted,” says David Chapman of Resilience Montreal, of those he is able to locate following the eviction, “they’ve moved to dark alley ways forested areas and abandoned areas.”

Montrealers living in the encampment under the Ville-Marie Expressway were evicted on Tuesday morning, as ordered by a judge at the end of June.

“Folks have headed to a more dangerous situation and unfortunately this doesn’t solve the problem, it makes it more dangerous for them,” says Chapman.

 

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Of the almost 20 individuals that were evicted, so far only three have been placed in government subsidized housing, three refused housing and the other 14 or so individuals are currently in the process. They remain scattered and unhoused, something likely to continue into next year.

“This is the reality, for the most part,” says Chapman, showing us places most are currently staying in. “We have tried to take note of the different locations that they’ve gone…so that we can try and follow up with them, the sad part is that at least three or so people are unwilling to tell us where they’ve gone precisely because they’re worried about being evicted again.”

For Jacco Stuben who lived in the encampment for many years, remains unhoused, as he waits for subsidized housing. As of now he has found a location in a forested area, which Stuben asked CityNews to keep confidential as he fears he could be evicted by authorities once more.

Jacco Stuben Montreal who was evicted from Ville-Marie Expressway remains unhoused. (Felisha Adam/CityNews Image)

“I’m still searching for another spot,” he says, bracing himself for the cold winters, he needs to find somewhere that is properly isolated, “they keep on taking away our homes we are scattered now,” added Stuben.

“Why are they destroying people’s lives you don’t want to give them a space…they don’t want us to get better they just want us out in the middle of the street, it’s not fair this is not Canada, you’re not helping the people, you’re just throwing people on the street,” says Stuben speaking about authorities.

Storage Cubes for the belongings of those who were evicted July 11th (Felisha Adam/CityNews Image)

“There’s no longer a visual issue of homelessness under the bridge, but the homelessness continues, except in a more isolated and dangerous fashion,” says Chapman.

Judge Pierre Nollet ordered the eviction of residents as of the end of June to make way for repairs to the Ville-Marie expressway, in his judgment he says “there are resources available that many do not want to use,” something Chapman says is not that simple.

“If they could easily access homeless resources, they wouldn’t be in encampments…the truth is, the people who need the help the most have just gone further away from help.”