“We are better off in Val-d’Or in terms of roaming services than in Rouyn”

Asked to react to the homelessness situation in Rouyn-Noranda, Stéphane Grenier says he understands the problems raised by downtown merchants. The latter participated Wednesday evening in an information evening with speakers from the Integrated health and social services centerCISSS, the Sûreté du Québec and representatives of the Maison du Soleil levant organization. Some have called for the shelter to be moved.

It’s really the housing crisis that makes sites unaffordable and inaccessible for these homeless people. They occupy urban space in a constant and disturbing way. This is what needs to be resolved. Otherwise, we help them temporarily. We keep them warm, we keep them dry, we feed them, but we can’t get them out of the streethe describes.

The intervention and the camps

For Stéphane Grenier, community interventions and cohabitation between merchants and users are important, but the long-term solution is the construction of affordable housing. He also believes that there are more services set up in Val-d’Or to help people experiencing homelessness than in Rouyn-Noranda.

He points out that La Piaule can help more than 100 people. On Wednesday, 48 people used the services of the Maison du Soleil levant.

We have had new case law for less than a year in Canada which means that if a site is incapable of offering housing for everyone, the camps must be tolerated. In Val-d’Or, I still have the means not to tolerate urban camps because we can offer them something else. But in Rouyn-Noranda, given the saturation of services at the Maison du Soleil levant, if there were urban camps, I would probably be the first to defend them in the eyes of Canadian case law on the subject.he considers.