One of the only homeless shelters in the Laurentians will close its doors on 1er May, due to lack of funding from Quebec, even if homelessness is exploding in the region.
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“It sure bothers everyone. I have a tent, I’m going to find a place, but it’s not convenient on rainy days,” confides Éric Demers, who has been attending La Croisée de Sainte-Agathe almost every night for two months.
The 52-year-old man felt out of place in a rooming house. “It didn’t work, I didn’t fittais not in the decor. In addition, I found myself with a dog, I couldn’t stay,” relates the former restaurant employee.
Living on social assistance, he doesn’t even dare to look at housing offers in the region. “We know that there is nothing. I am not able to pay that,” he said, resigned.
Closing
In the gazebo adjacent to the emergency shelter, the frustration is palpable.
Dominic Racette, 44, will try to resolve his consumption problems once and for all after the closure of the La Croisée emergency shelter in Sainte-Agathe.
Photo Anouk Lebel
“There is a housing crisis, salaries are not keeping up, and shelters like that are closing. I really don’t understand,” says Dominic Racette.
At 44, he has been living between different resources and the street for a decade due to consumption problems.
He is also in his last nights at La Croisée, for which the Integrated health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of the Laurentides has not renewed funding beyond April 30.
The emergency shelter La Croisée, in Saint-Agathe, will cease its activities on May 1, due to lack of funding.
Photo Anouk Lebel
“It’s shocking. We had 14 beds which were full every evening,” rages Nancy Dupont, director of L’envolée, the mental health intervention organization which oversees the shelter.
She explains that the emergency shelter opened its doors in the middle of the pandemic in 2021, when homelessness exploded in the Laurentians and emerged in Saint-Agathe (see other text).
No money
The CISSS only had $3.8 million to grant for homelessness projects, but received $11 million in grant requests.
“We are dependent on the ministry which defines the criteria for selecting projects,” explains Émilie Contant, head of administration of the regional ESPOIR program.
She emphasizes that the team of program workers works with La Croisée to relocate users to other accommodation resources, in rooming houses or motels, while waiting for them to find permanent housing.
“There aren’t many options. The other resources around the Laurentians are either just for women or just for young people. We were open to everyone,” regrets M.me Dupont.
