Ottawa and Quebec will invest $115 million over the next two years to carry out 51 emergency and transitional housing projects for people experiencing homelessness in Montreal.
The announcement made Friday in the presence of the Member of Parliament for Outremont, Rachel Bendayan, the Minister responsible for Social Services of Quebec, Lionel Carmant, and the person responsible for the homelessness issue on the executive committee of the City of Montreal, Robert Beaudry, plans to add 521 places by 2026, which corresponds to an increase of 30%. Last December, 1,526 places for homeless people were identified in Montreal.
Asked about the sometimes difficult issues of cohabitation in the sectors where new resources are established, Minister Carmant underlined the importance of informing citizens well beforehand and adapting these projects to local realities.
Robert Beaudry, however, specified that in certain cases, such as that of the Sainte-Bibiane church – which the City intends to purchase in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie -, real estate strategy imperatives impose constraints on the City in its communications with the citizens.
However, he assured that in general, the City opens a dialogue with residents before the arrival of a new resource in a neighborhood.
“These are not referendums,” he warned, however. “We are not putting into play the option of doing or not doing a project for vulnerable populations. »
This announcement coincided with the inauguration of the Au pied de la montagne house, a project of 24 community housing units for men experiencing homelessness located on Avenue du Parc and managed by the organization Mission Old Brewery.
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