While the night is freezing, the shuttle from the Old Brewery Mission crisscrosses the streets of Montreal to bring the homeless to warmth.
Updated at 0:51
At the heat shelter of the shelter of the same name, a small group is about to leave for another place. This evening, the place of respite is overflowing, explains Mila Alexova, coordinator of the organization’s services.
Met on the spot, Vincent D’Aoust is however one of those who will spend the night at the Old Brewery Mission. “Here, you have coffee and you can sit down, you won’t have hypothermia,” he says. In the room, about twenty people are warming up while eating a meal. Outside, the mercury dropped below -20°C. Being at the Mission removes “heaviness,” says Mr. D’Aoust, who says he feels good thanks to the employees.
With the “brutal cold” raging outside, Ellie Parent is looking forward to spending the night in the warmth, in the company of the regulars of the Old Brewery Mission. “We begin to know the world, says Ellie. When you don’t see someone, you wonder if something has happened to them. We spread the word to find out if everyone is correct. »
Around 9 p.m., Mila Alexova is busy gathering around ten people who will leave the place. Head to Plateau Mont-Royal, where they will spend the night in a temporary heat shelter.
Then the shuttle leaves the scene. The journey is made to the sound of rap music that Mila Alexova plays on her cell phone, at the request of a passenger. In the tumult of the last few weeks, this moment in the shuttle “makes [sa] evening,” says the coordinator, watching a man nod.
“Transportation is difficult”
In addition to bringing those who cannot stay to the Old Brewery Mission heat drop-in, the shuttle serves other agencies. This is the case of the Maison du Père, which also lacks places to accommodate all the homeless. “We get people warm until the shuttle picks them up,” said François Boissy, director of the Maison du Père, earlier on Thursday.
Since 1er December, the shuttle travels the streets of Montreal every evening, between 2:30 p.m. and 3 a.m. A driver and a counselor invite homeless people to be transported to resources in the city that will ensure their safety for the night. Last winter, nearly 6,500 homeless men and women used this service.
But this week, the conditions “are not ideal,” says Chantal Laferrière, executive director of the St-Michael’s Mission, a drop-in center where people experiencing homelessness can come and eat, take a shower, meet workers and get clothes. “It’s very rock’n’roll,” she argues. It is cold. Transportation is difficult. »
“Everyone comes in all wet. People are cold and they are marabouts, ”continues Mme Laferriere. This morning, I saw in their faces that the night had been difficult. We just want to take them in our arms. It’s sad to see. »
More beds available
In recent days, more beds have been available for people experiencing homelessness, to the delight of community workers. At the beginning of January, the Omicron variant spread rapidly in the homelessness community in Montreal. More than 500 homeless people were infected and several resources had to close their doors or reduce their reception capacity.
For the past week, the City of Montreal has been able to accommodate up to 300 homeless people infected with COVID-19 in the Montreal Soccer Stadium, in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.