Roaming | Why open a heat stop in Montreal?

Citing the seriousness of the homelessness crisis and the arrival of severe cold weather, the City of Montreal is urgently opening a heat stop near city hall. The Quebec government has not yet granted funding to the project, but Montreal will send it the bill, said Mayor Valérie Plante. Here’s why.

Why is the City opening this emergency resource?

The approximately 100 places in shelters opened since the start of winter are filled to maximum capacity almost every evening, just like the shelters for the homeless, indicate the community organizations that manage them. Especially when it is very cold, they have to refuse dozens of people, who have to sleep outside, in business entrances or in tents. “We did the work at full speed with the Montreal Fire Department,” explained Valérie Plante on Thursday at a press conference in the redeveloped municipal premises. “The City is making a humanitarian gesture by going beyond its field of competence to allow the opening of this place. We choose to protect lives, to protect the most vulnerable this winter. » The mercury could drop to -20°C at night over the weekend.

Read our report “Homelessness crisis in Montreal: a chair for the night… and more”

Why does Montreal want to make the Quebec government pay?

The fight against homelessness is a provincial responsibility. Quebec funds community organizations offering services to the homeless, such as shelters, shelters and support in finding housing. Many homeless people are addicted to drugs and need mental health care, which falls under the health network. The City had proposed two sites for the installation of heat centers a few weeks ago, but no provincial funding was granted. Valérie Plante believes that the intensity of the crisis and the insufficiency of resources require the intervention of the City. “We still don’t have the support of the Quebec government, but for us, there was no question of waiting any longer,” she explained.

Where is the heat stop?

At the back of the Lucien-Saulnier municipal building, in Old Montreal, a stone’s throw from city hall. This building served as a temporary city hall during work on the heritage building on Notre-Dame Street. The premises, which will open this Friday and will be accessible from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., will offer chairs in two rooms, one for men and one for women, and a small dining room where snacks will be served. The City had proposed this premises for a warm stop for the organization L’Itinéraire, which had refused it because it did not suit its needs. It was then redeveloped by municipal services, at a cost of $20,000, to transform the offices into large rooms.

Who will administer this resource?

The City has not found a community organization to administer the new heat stop. For the moment, she will be supervised by private security agents and workers from the Mobile Mediation and Social Intervention Team (EMMIS). “We hope that the Quebec government will give us the necessary resources to operate it all winter,” said Valérie Plante. She deplored the fact that community stakeholders, who are “at the end of their rope,” must undergo painful bureaucratic procedures at the last minute to obtain funding, while being on the front lines of the crisis.

Why are we only offering chairs?

This is emergency and temporary assistance. But municipal elected officials reiterated that Quebec must finance more social housing and assistance adapted to the needs of the homeless. “It may not be ideal, but it is better than sleeping in a tent or under a bridge, and being at risk of freezing to death completely isolated,” said Robert Beaudry, head of homelessness to the executive committee.

Will the Quebec government foot the bill?

We don’t know yet. The Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, sent a terse written statement on Thursday on “the importance of supporting efforts to provide temporary shelters during the winter period.” He recalled that Montreal will receive 24 million over two years for homelessness, coming from federal funds transferred to the province after long negotiations. However, he refused to answer our questions on the amounts that Quebec itself will devote to this issue, and on the alternative solutions available to homeless people who are refused shelter in cold weather.

What other places will allow homeless people to stay warm?

In addition to existing locations, the Montreal Emergency Measures Coordination Center is triggering its Special Intervention Plan – Extreme Cold, due to the low temperatures expected this weekend. On Saturday, it will open a temporary accommodation center with 50 places at the YMCA Centre-Ville, on Stanley Street, between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. UQAM also announced the opening of its 50-seat drop-in center Saturday, Sunday and Monday, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., at the J.-A.-DeSève pavilion, rue Sainte-Catherine Est. Three speakers from the Social Development Corporation (SDS) will be on site. The educational establishment expects the Minister responsible for Social Solidarity, Chantal Rouleau, to announce funding for the project this Friday. The heat stop was open 10 nights last winter. “We hope to be able to open more nights than during the first edition,” indicates the director of communications, Caroline Tessier.