Roaming in the region | In Drummondville, the fear of “service gaps”

The mayor is of the opinion that, at home too, cohabitation is the topic of the hour

(Drummondville) “We cannot meet the demand,” laments François Gosselin, director of the Ensoleilvent shelter in Drummondville. Due to a lack of places, the organization had to refuse 455 people from April to September. One sign among many of the explosion of homelessness in this region.

Like the entire province, Centre-du-Québec is experiencing an unprecedented homelessness crisis. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of homeless people jumped by 21%, reveals the most recent count from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).

“Today, we see young people, elderly people, people who don’t necessarily have problems, but who have just been unlucky,” says François Gosselin, standing in the snowy courtyard of the shelter, near a pavilion where some residents warm up.

L’Ensoleilvent runs the only heat stop in Drummondville, in addition to an emergency accommodation center equipped with an overflow unit that can accommodate up to 19 people.

Each unit is saturated.

“We are developing our services, but because the funding comes in piecemeal, we are never sure we will be able to maintain them,” adds François Gosselin, upon entering the shelter.

In the wooded living room, Sylvie Dussault sits calmly. The fifty-year-old spent almost 15 years on the street before applying for a room at Ensoleilvent.

The resident is now waiting for a place to become available in transitional housing. “It could take a year,” explains François Gosselin. But the fact that she’s here, after years of not wanting to know anything about us, is already a victory. »

Challenges “every day”

Every morning, Andréa Provencher lines up in front of the Tablée populaire, another Drummondville resource that offers shelter and low-cost meals to vulnerable people.

Between the closing of the Ensoleilvent heat station, where she sleeps every night, and the opening of the doors of the second organization at 11 a.m., the woman spends three hours waiting outside, without having anywhere to go.

“It’s long, in the cold. I would really like it to open sooner,” she says.

For lack of places to find a little warmth in the morning, dozens of people wait in front of the Tablée populaire every day, according to Rachel Bissonnette, director of the organization.

Coordinator of the Tablée populaire, Isabelle Lépine does not understand that Drummondville does not have a crisis center, a unit specializing in the care of people in psychological distress. “Every day we see people who have crises, who become disorganized, and we are not able to help them,” she says.

These “service gaps” also worry the mayor of Drummondville, Stéphanie Lacoste. “Even though our organizations are dedicated, people may find themselves outside this winter because of this, and that concerns us,” she comments.

Un filet social

The other resources working on homelessness in Drummondville are also out of breath. La Piaule, a street work organization, has seen traffic at its day center almost double over the last five years. “We are people of heart, we believe in what we do, but it is very demanding,” expresses Francis Lacharité, general director of the organization.

The arrival of the cold weather does nothing to reassure the training worker, who had to temporarily reduce the opening hours of the day center due to a lack of staff.

The growing presence of homeless people on the streets also harms the feeling of security of certain citizens, adds Stéphanie Lacoste. “Before, homelessness in the region was very hidden. Now, it is visible and it can be disturbing,” says the mayor.

Cohabitation is now the topic of the day in Drummondville, she says. “It is no longer just a matter for large centers. »