Kickstarting change: street soccer lets Montreal’s unhoused shine

To some, soccer may just be a game, but for the national, registered nonprofit organization, the Canadian Street Soccer Association (CSSA), it’s a tool for social change.

They are giving Montreal’s most vulnerable an chance for growth: individuals facing homelessness, addiction, mental health challenges, and social exclusion, offering them a unique opportunity for social integration, personal development, and community connection.

“It’s designed really for the unhoused. It’s designed for vulnerable members of the community. And that’s not just homeless people. It could be something to do with mental health issues, people coming out of recovery. We see this not so much as a focus on soccer talent or looking for good players, but as part of the recovery process—either from mental health or addictions, from substance abuse, but also for the unhoused. It just gives them a sense of purpose in life,” said Bob Humphreys, program director for Quebec with the Canadian Street Soccer Association.

They hope the sport will transform lives and foster collaboration within the community. They want to encourage individuals to reach their full potential, regardless of their history.

“It’s about not taking it too seriously. The whole idea is about trying to reintegrate these people back into society, helping them with some social skills. Sport is a great outlet for that as well,” said Humphreys.

With support from six shelters, as well as Soccer Quebec, Soccer Canada, and the Montreal ladies professional club, the program was launched in the city last month.

Collaborative partnerships with shelters, charities, universities, government bodies, and professional sports clubs are an essential part of the program. They help ensure that the programs are designed to meet the needs of vulnerable communities.

“Our target really is working in partnership with the shelters here in the city, as well as with rehab centers, social care, community centers, and social workers,” Humphreys explained.

Humphreys adds that La Maison du Père and the Old Brewery Mission have been extremely supportive by sending players and he is expecting more from other shelters.

“I feel like bringing sports into an intervention like this, it helps the guys build a social network outside of just it being homelessness, and it gives them a sense of empowerment to feel like they’re a part of something bigger than just being at the shelter,” said Samuel Drolet-Bégin, an intervention worker at Maison du Père and participant of the Canadian Street Soccer Association in Montreal.

Drolet-Bégin added, “I’ve always been someone who liked sports. I played all my life, mostly football, American football. And to me, it gave me a sense of discipline, hard work, team spirit, and everything. And that’s something I feel like the guys could benefit from. So that’s what really brought me into the program and everything. And most of these guys, they have done the recruiting by themselves to make sure that the project gets the traction it needs. So even for them, it empowers them to do something bigger.”

Humphreys says they started the program slowly at first to gauge the interest level. The first training sessions took place in early January.

Sessions are held weekly at SoccerRoof Plateau, on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. These are aimed at providing an inclusive environment that supports participants physical health, encourages social interactions, and supports them emotionally.

“For us now, it’s about having a regular training session and a regular, you know, fun, basically, for these guys. Put a smile on their faces, that’s what it’s about,” said Humphreys.

Danny Elaessi is one of the participants.

“I already feel, just from the few minutes we had for training today, all this fatigue, all the problems I had—just, you know, half of them flew away, by miracle, you know. It’s what it does to me. I believe it will do the same for other people too,” he said.

“It’s an interesting program because, you know, it’s something that few people can do—taking all those risks, making all these investments to play soccer in the wintertime. It’s something I think is great, and I should be telling every friend I know to join this team as soon as they can. Otherwise, they’ll be missing out a lot.”

Fabrice Mugabe is another participant who explained the power of the program.

“Sports bring people together. As old as time, you know, soccer has been one of the oldest sports. I think it’s bringing a lot of people together—different cultures, different personalities—and we all get to express ourselves on the pitch, so it’s amazing,” he said.

He adds, “my first week was horrible. I was out of shape and gassed, so it gave me an incentive to push myself. I’m finding it amazing, and I already see progress. More people every week, so it’s great.”

“It’s hard to get in shape nowadays, so, like, soccer is one of the best ways. And I love competition, so it’s a boost.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Mugabe lost not only his job at a warehouse, but also the roof over his head. “I kind of went through a rough patch like everybody else, and without work I didn’t really have anywhere to go,” he said. But with the help of Maison du Père, a men’s homeless shelter in Montreal, Mugabe has a new job and is putting money aside so he can move into an apartment.

Humphreys explained that players must be at least 18 to join.

“It’s over 18 years of age. They could be as old as me. Okay. And if they want to come out and kick a ball around, it’s about just having an outlet. It’s about having a little bit of social life, a little bit of fun, a little bit of mixing.”

He goes on to explain how homelessness is in the city.

“When I first came here, what, three, three and a half years ago, I could see that there’s more and more. You only have to go on the metro and you see more and more on the street every day. And what worries me is the younger ones. Okay. And what I’m keen on in trying to give something back to the community is trying to grab these guys early. Because a lot of the time, it’s no fault of their own. You know, they’ve lost their job, and they get evictions and things like that.”

“What you tend to find is you don’t want these guys to go into a downward spiral. Because otherwise, they’ll end up in alcohol, drugs, or various other addictions. So it’s about grabbing them early, especially the young ones, and giving them an outlet.”

The program also includes a chance to attend tournaments at the local, national, and international levels, including an opportunity for players to represent Canada and play at the Homeless World Cup in Oslo, Norway, this summer.

“It’s about getting these guys aware of how to play street soccer, which is a totally different game from normal soccer. It’s fast. It’s hectic. And, you know, my goal is to make sure I can get some of these guys selected to represent Canada at the Homeless World Cup this year,” Humphreys said.

The Homeless World Cup is run by a charity called the Homeless World Cup Foundation.

“At my age, I wanted to give something back to the community. I’ve been involved in soccer all my life, you know. So I wanted to give something back to the community and start thinking about how I could get involved in it. So I contacted the Homeless World Cup. I think they’re based in Scotland, actually, in the UK. And they put me in touch with Hosan, who’s our CEO, based in Toronto. So we just had a quick phone call and a Teams call. He said, ‘Where are you based?’ I said, ‘I’m in Montreal.’ He said, ‘Fantastic, because I need to get Montreal up and running.’ And that’s how I generally got involved,” Humphreys explained.

“Now, how are we going to select players? I mean, we’ve been invited by the Homeless World Cup to have Canada represented at this year’s tournament in Oslo. How do we select them? It’s not really based on talent. Okay, yes, it would be nice for Canada to win, but it’s about who’s the most vulnerable—who would get the most out of it.”

For the tournament in August, each team will field four players — one goalkeeper and three outfielders — on the pitch, which is smaller than the regular size FIFA soccer field. The tournament is hosted by a different city each year; previous editions were hosted by Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

Players must be recently unhoused or temporarily housed, Hossam Khedr, Canadian Street Soccer Association CEO, explained. However, some people with fixed addresses, including refugees and those who struggle with mental health issues or addictions, may also make the cut.

“It’s amazing. I was actually surprised at how much is involved. Like, actually getting a chance to go to Toronto and Norway is a pretty unique opportunity for a lot of people, including homeless people and programs like that. So, it’s amazing. I think it’s great,” said Mugabe.

The association has a goal of expanding to ten urban hubs in 2025.

In addition, they also are aiming to engage 2,000 participants annually.

As of now, Humphreys says one of the main issues they are facing is fundraising.

“We are a not-for-profit; we’re a nationally registered not-for-profit organization at the moment. We do need funds, we do need sponsorship, and it’s very difficult to apply for things like grants until you get charity status. Now, our charity application has gone in, and we’re just waiting for sign-off from various authorities. So, hopefully around springtime—sort of April or May—we should have our charity status, which, obviously, will make grant applications that much easier,” he explained.

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-With files from the Canadian Press