Ensemble Montréal would establish intervention group on homelessness if elected in November
Posted August 28, 2025 5:04 pm.
Last Updated August 28, 2025 5:09 pm.
Montreal mayoral candidate and leader of Ensemble Montréal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, was in Chinatown Thursday sharing her party’s proposed solutions to social issues, including the challenges residents are dealing with near a so-called “crack alley” at Jeanne-Mance and De La Gauchetière.
“We don’t want to study, I think we know what we need to do, we just need to do it,” she said at a press conference.
Ensemble Montréal proposes several measures like:
- Establishing a Tactical Homelessness Intervention Group (GITI) to coordinate field interventions and plan future operations
- Creating a local public safety committee, composed of citizens, community organizations, and borough representatives, and overseen by the SPVM
- Planning homelessness and homelessness services on an annual basis, rather than seasonally it’s currently done
“Homelessness is an issue, it’s on the long-term, and we have to work quickly on the short-term,” says Martinez Ferrada. “But also in the long-term, we’re making sure that these decision-making tables are set in place not only to talk to each other, but also to decide and prioritize. Because resources are limited, and we have to make sure that we do the best with it.”
Martinez Ferrada says this would be put in place shortly after Nov. 2, if she is elected
“I think having the people around the table that make those decisions and coordinate the effort to be ready on the 1st of Dec. for the winter that’s coming and also be ready for next summer,” she said.
Projet Montréal puts forward their own solutions to homelessness
Luc Rabouin, the leader of Projet Montréal and their mayoral candidate, announced Thursday his own measures to tackle the homelessness crisis.
He proposed creating 1,000 new social and transitional housing units to get more than 1,000 people off the streets, if the party receives another mandate.
These units would include modular and social housing with support:
- 500 modular units to be installed as quickly as possible, in addition to the pilot projects underway in Namur-Hippodrome (CDN-NDG), 50-50 Louvain (Ahuntsic-Cartierville), and MIL (Outremont)
- 500 units in social housing with support to be developed in permanent buildings acquired or constructed.
“For me and my team, it’s clear: the priority is to take rapid action to house everyone,” Rabouin said, in a press release.
“We’ve always said that the ultimate solution to vulnerability crises lies in housing and the creation of appropriate services. To achieve this, we are committed to rapidly deploying investments to create 1,000 transitional housing units, including 500 modular units. We will quickly be able to provide transitional housing for more than 1,000 people across the entire territory. Under Projet Montréal, the city is taking leadership and taking action.”
The party says they are focusing on a variety of transitional housing options and strong municipal actions and will put forward other proposals during the campaign.
