Quebec adds almost $9.7M for homeless shelter beds in Montreal-area

The first snowfall of the season hit Montreal this week and temperatures are dropping – a sign that winter weather is on the way. For the city’s homeless community, this means finding shelter becomes that much more important with the cold temperatures.

On Friday, the Quebec government announced an additional almost $9.7 million dedicated to the Montreal-area to help add 188 homeless shelter beds.

Lionel Carmant, Quebec Minister Responsible for Social Services, made the announcement in Montreal.

“This funding is specifically aimed at increasing the number of beds and allowing targeted community agencies to be open 24 hours a day, 24 days a week,” said the government in a press release.

Currently there are about 1,600 homeless shelter beds in the city and according to a recent Quebec government count of the homeless community in Oct. 2022, there are about 4,690 visible homeless people in the city.

In the very short term, 188 new beds will be made available to people experiencing homelessness. Most in existing organizations which have agreed to increase their reception capacity.

“As we approach the winter season, this other investment in homelessness aims to prevent people from ending up on the streets during periods of extreme cold. The additional services will be available 24/7, year-round, because I firmly believe that people experiencing homelessness should be able to count on access to services at all times. I am proud to see how mobilized we are all for the cause, from our government to municipal authorities, to health network staff and our valued community partners. In order to reverse this upward trend in the phenomenon of homelessness. We must continue to join forces and work together, including on the issues of prevention, transitional housing and access to housing,” says Carmant in a news release.

“At a time when the needs of people experiencing homelessness are acute, we have a responsibility to provide them with a safe roof over their heads during the winter. These additional funds are essential in the context of the vulnerability crisis affecting cities, and we welcome this funding as the cold season approaches. We must all continue to work together to support community organizations and ensure the sustainability of sufficient social housing, which is the central solution to addressing homelessness issues,” adds Valérie Plante, Mayor Montreal, in a press release.

The number of people experiencing homelessness has exploded in the metropolis since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, recalled the mayor. She insisted that there is “no question of leaving people on the street, in the cold, even in a tent.”

Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, and Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development, Pierre Fitzgibbon said he welcomed this investment which he said “will make a big difference” as cold weather approaches. He maintained that all levels of government, as well as the business community, were mobilized to move forward in providing support to vulnerable people.

Among the organizations that will benefit from the provincial funds is a shelter for women in Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension. It currently has 15 places, but should double its capacity to accommodate up to 30 women within a few weeks.

At the Social Development Corporation, the deputy general director, Martin Raymond, explains that the financial assistance will make it possible to complete the move of shelter operations from the Guy-Favreau Complex to the former Gordon Gardens residence, in Verdun, with around 50 rooms there by December 1 and offer 24-hour services.

For the Welcome Hall Mission, sustaining the temporary services offered at the Hôtel-Dieu site have made it possible to accommodate 200 people so far, said its president and CEO Samuel Watts.

Mayor Plante assured that the metropolis is ready to open temporary shelters if necessary. In the past, gymnasiums or other public places were transformed into dormitories to prevent people from spending the night in the cold.

“We are always ready, we will not leave anyone out,” she said.

Friday’s funding announcement for homeless shelters is seen by some as a temporary solution for homelessness in Montreal.        

“The bottom line is housing, housing, housing because a lot of people are expecting we should make sure as a society that everybody has a roof on top of their head,” said Plante.

“There’s people on the streets, people in various states of preciousness, people who are struggling with multiple comorbidities,” said Watts. “And we need to find the right kind of housing for them. And right now, some of those answers are simply non-existent, and they’re going to need to be invented.”   

“The street count said 4,690 people are homeless every evening, that’s every evening. So, the minimum number of housing units that we need, additional apartments that we need is five-thousand,” said James Hughes, president and CEO of Old Brewery Mission. “So, the investments are in the hundreds, but the need is in the thousands. So, we’re calling on the government to make massive investments in housing for this population.”

Official opposition reacts

“Although the announcement of additional investment to consolidate and create new 24/7 places is a step in the right direction, it comes late when the cold has already set in,” said Benoit Langevin, spokesperson for the city’s Official Opposition on homelessness.

“We absolutely must move away from the seasonal and last-minute logic that forces community groups to open resources in the middle of winter. I also hope that the sums announced will be sufficient to develop resources dedicated to the specific needs of all. Furthermore, the Plante administration must imperatively make itself accountable for the actions for which it is responsible, namely those of ensuring that the Montrealers are safe and have a roof over their heads. »