Montreal women’s shelter expands with housing crisis, domestic violence exacerbated by pandemic
Posted December 5, 2021 4:40 pm.
Last Updated December 6, 2021 3:04 am.
A Montreal’s women shelter is expanding to accommodate a growing need for their services since the start of the pandemic.
A rise in intimate partner violence in Quebec has intensified the housing crisis for women in need, says the team at Logifem.
The Montreal shelter, which has been around since 1988, is opening a new pavilion in the city’s southwest. The new shelter will be known as “La Lumineuse,” meaning a guiding light for women who need a safe space.
This shelter is specifically for mothers and their children.
“Unfortunately because of the housing crisis and because of the rise in conjugal violence there are more and more women with children who are in precarious situations,” said Sally Richmond, the executive director of Logifem. “So this will be a safety net to help. People have somewhere to go when they have nowhere to live.”
Yuphana Kamnuengsuk, a former Logifem resident, is grateful to the organization for helping her through a difficult time in her life.
“When I’m going in my room, they always check you, like are you safe, are you OK?” recounted Kamnuengsuk.
“Now, I’m in my own place. I went to school. I continue my studies.
“It’s like the freedom island. Yeah, the freedom island in Montreal is Logifem.”
Logifem has transitional apartments and has been accommodating up to 20 women in their shelter. Today, the organization hopes to help even more women like Kamnuengsuk through their expansion.
“In 2012, we allocated six rooms to be rooms for women with children in the shelter,” said Richmond. “And we were able to fill those all of the time, and so we realized that we could have additional capacity and it would be useful.”
Since acquiring an additional building and transforming it into their new pavilion, Logifem will be able to accommodate another eight women and their children – from youngsters to teens.
The goal is to help women from all walks of life overcome their hurdles and help them find affordable, comfortable housing after leaving the shelter.
“We need places where women can go with their children, and know that they’ll be safe, they’ll be loved,” said Jessica Bouchard, the coordinator at Logifem’s new pavilion.
After gaining access to the building only a few weeks ago, the staff, volunteers, and donors helped with replacing the kitchen, repairing the bathrooms, repainting, and much more.
“It’s really amazing to see how people can still pull together and make something good happen in a short space of time,” said Richmond.
