Montreal’s Old Brewery Mission prepares for another winter
Posted December 18, 2023 10:32 pm.
Last Updated December 18, 2023 11:26 pm.
Winter is here, and the Old Brewery Mission is once again ramping up efforts to address homelessness during cold, winter nights.
The organization has rolled out initiatives to assist individuals experiencing homelessness this winter, including shuttle services that provide warmth and transportation to emergency shelters. Café Mission, supervised by Old Brewery Mission staff, will also serve as a warming center.
“We take them on our shuttle service called the Solidaribus…we transport them to where there are spaces, and we’ll also go to another place which is overflowing, and we’ll take individuals—men, women, trans people, whoever needs a spot—to another facility,” said James Hughes, CEO of Old Brewery Mission.
The Solidaribus operates seven nights a week from 4:30 p.m. to midnight throughout the year.
“They’re vulnerable people. They don’t have a place,” said Yolette Jean, a staff member at Old Brewery Mission.
While on the bus, Jean makes calls to shelters nearby to see if there are available beds for the people on the shuttle bus.
“If they don’t have shoes, if they don’t have clothes, if they want a sleeping bag, we give it to them,” said Jean.
The organization provides emergency shelter year-round with nearly 400 spaces for men and 45 spaces for women.
Most recently, 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.
Vincent D’Aoust, an unhoused man who has been using the services at Old Brewery Mission for over 10 years, says services like the Solidaribus are convenient.
“We wouldn’t be forced to sleep outside in the cold, alone,” said D’Aoust.
In Quebec, 10,000 are visibly homeless. Nearly half of those people, 4,690, were living in Montreal. The homeless population in the province has almost doubled in 4 years, according to a recent report.
“This is a regional service. It’s not just for Old Brewery,” said Hughes.
