the two stops will see the light of day

My sources tell me that Minister Lionel Carmant will make the announcement in person in Trois-Rivières very soon.

This important outcome comes as people across the region prepare to mark the 35th Homeless Night on Friday evening. On the ground, even if we remain stingy with comments while awaiting formal confirmation from the minister, we can be rejoiced at the news and breathe a sigh of relief to see that many people will not sleep outside this winter.

We will remember that faced with the social emergency that Trois-Rivières is going through in terms of homelessness, the Point de Rue organization and the Center Le Havre had both submitted an emergency accommodation project to deal with the crisis this winter. In the case of Le Havre, this project would be located in the Cap-de-la-Madeleine sector, with shuttle transport service for users.

Point de Rue, which opened the drop-in center last winter on Rue Royale, planned to reopen the resource this year, but nevertheless wanted funding to be increased in order to be able to address the issues of social acceptability, in particular by hiring more staff, introducing tighter security measures and developing locations that would reduce the impact on the neighborhood.

Faced with the emergency and the imminent arrival of the cold season, the mayor of Trois-Rivières Jean Lamarche implored, in an open letter, Minister Lionel Carmant to allow the financing of the two projects, so that they do not end up not in competition and that we can have as many resources as possible to help vulnerable people this winter.

The minister had also shown himself open to considering the two projects, but no confirmation had yet been given to the organizations. Again this Wednesday, on both sides, we were stingy with comments given that nothing had yet been confirmed.

However, according to my sources, Lionel Carmant should indeed give the green light to both projects, and he will make the announcement in person in Trois-Rivières in the coming days. An announcement that will arrive just in time for organizations to initiate all the procedures surrounding the developments, as well as the hiring of staff.

After all, time is running out and the mercury has already started to approach freezing at night.

In the case of Point de Rue, everything indicates that the Halte-douceur should end up in the same location, only with additional resources and improved facilities. Minister Carmant had suggested that social acceptability would be an important condition for granting the requested amounts. However, the Point de Rue team was already making this their own condition to open this winter, visibly reluctant to go through the storm experienced last year again.

As for Le Havre, the latest news was that the organization was still awaiting confirmation from the minister and possible funding to start the process to open winter accommodation in the Bas-du-Cap sector. The location has not yet been confirmed, nor the hiring made, which can be done as soon as funding is confirmed by the minister’s office.

This outcome comes as we prepare to mark the 35th Night of the Homeless. In the region, four events are planned for Friday evening, in Louiseville, Shawinigan, Bécancour and Nicolet.

This event, supported by the Quebec Homelessness Solidarity Network, is part of local initiatives carried out by organizations working in the fight against homelessness on the ground.

Even if it is in Trois-Rivières that the phenomenon is most visible, it has been several years since the event took place in Trois-Rivières. The Point de Rue organization, which also offers day center services in Nicolet, made this choice several years ago, in an effort to provide a different perspective on homelessness. Indeed, even if it is not always visible in the smallest municipalities, homelessness does exist.

Let’s say that for several years, it is not in Trois-Rivières that the cause has lacked visibility. Even if it’s not always for the right reasons…

The entire population is invited to join one or other of the events in the region in order to demonstrate solidarity, to learn a little more, to demystify the phenomenon and above all to break down the taboos that surround it. surround.

In Bécancour, Homeless Night will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the LaRue Bécancour organization, located at 1960 boulevard Bécancour, in the Gentilly sector.

In Louiseville, the Homelessness Squad will hold a rally at Place Canadel from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In Nicolet, the Point de Rue organization is waiting for the population from 4:30 p.m. at the Le Rendez-vous Community Center, 160 rue du Frère-Dominic.

In Shawinigan, the organization Le TRASH invites citizens to join the gathering from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Place des Canotiers, on Promenade du Saint-Maurice.

For all the details regarding the different activities, click here.