Old Brewery Mission opens new rooms for women experiencing homelessness

The Old Brewery Mission inaugurated 13 new bedrooms that provide more privacy for women experiencing homelessness – who go there seeking emergency shelter. The bedrooms replace the former dormitory, which had existed for 25 years.

The Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion, which houses their women’s services, “is making this big step forward as it celebrates its 25th anniversary,” said the Mission in a press release.

“This is the beginning of a new chapter for the Old Brewery Mission and homelessness services in general.”

The construction of the rooms was made possible due to generous donations, Old Brewery says.

“When we receive women here, they come from all different situations. And when you’re in a big dormitory and you’ve lived through a trauma, that’s not a really great place to start rebuilding and thinking of what you need. So, having these spaces really can allow them to have a more safe, secure place to move forward,” said Solange Lavigne, co-director of women’s services at Old Brewery Mission.

Susanna Parsons, a former Old Brewery Mission client who experienced living in the dormitory when she was unhoused says the new bedrooms are a major improvement.

“You’re not living in fear. The colours are so soft. You even have a closet. You know, you used to have to put everything underneath the bed and then you had to put it on top of the bed in the morning. Now it’s really beautiful.” said Parsons.

10,000 Quebecers are visibly homeless

About 10,000 people are visibly homeless in Quebec and of those, the number of women living on the streets is increasing, according to a recently released provincial government report. Advocates say, more needs to be done to curb this trend.

“For the longest of time, Quebec has been one of the most affordable provinces across Canada and seeing this trend in Quebec is something that is worth nothing,” previously said Khulud Baig, director of policy and community engagement with the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network.

The data shows a seven per cent increase in the number of unhoused women in Montreal, rising from 22 per cent of the homeless population in 2018 to 29 per cent in 2022.

“We’ve had on many situations women even just call and when we explained to them it was a dormitory. They wouldn’t come so their options were more limited,” said Lavigne.

“We have put an end to that communal space where everyone is right up side by side to each other with very little privacy and converting them into what we call ‘chambrets.’ So small rooms with all the amenities including a door,” said James Hughes, president and CEO of Old Brewery Mission.

“Anybody who identifies as a woman is able to come to this shelter, no questions asked,” said Lavigne.