The Gordon emergency shelter center for homeless people, located in Verdun, will open its doors Friday evening following the closure of the Complexe Guy-Favreau shelter in downtown Montreal. In order to reassure residents of the area, the Social Development Corporation (SDS), which manages the shelter, and the Verdun borough will put several measures in place to try to maintain harmonious cohabitation.
The building on Gordon Street, vacant since the closure of a residence for the elderly, was purchased last June by the City of Montreal, which planned to develop between 70 and 90 affordable housing units there. Due to the major work that must be undertaken at the Guy-Favreau Complex, it was necessary to find another site to replace this shelter. The City therefore offered to the Quebec government to temporarily accommodate the homeless in its Verdun building.
The accommodation center will have 50 places and will occupy the ground floor of the Gordon Street building, with rooms for men on one side and those for women and couples on the other. Access will be from the rear of the building. Unlike the Complexe Guy-Favreau shelter, the one in Verdun will offer services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We wanted to do it because citizen cohabitation will be greatly improved,” argued Martin Raymond, deputy general director of the SDS, an organization that has worked with the homeless since 2008.
Citizen concern
During an information meeting held by the borough on November 2, many citizens expressed their concerns about the upcoming arrival of the accommodation center in their residential neighborhood. Some feared incivility and being around intoxicated people. Others denounced the lack of citizen consultation and criticized the City for presenting them with a fait accompli. A citizen had even asked for a referendum to be held, an option which was not retained.
“Social cohabitation and mediation are the heart of our organization. So we take it very seriously and we will do everything to reassure citizens,” explained Martin Raymond, during a visit to the shelter on Thursday. “I know it was done in a hurry, but since we have been here, we have always been involved with residents and community organizations. We want to create bridges and find solutions. We will try to minimize any consequences that may arise. »
A good neighborly committee was set up and a first meeting took place on Monday. In addition to police surveillance, a patrol made up of two employees will be present and very visible on the ground, said borough councilor Céline-Audrey Beauregard. If they want to report an incident or any cohabitation problem, citizens can contact the authorities by email or by calling 311.
A temporary solution
The fact remains that the presence of the accommodation center on Gordon Street is temporary — until June — since the City intends to begin work starting next summer to develop housing in the building. “We bought it to provide affordable housing,” recalled Mayor Valérie Plante last month.
The opening of the shelter does not mean that the 85 homeless people who use the downtown shelter will move to Verdun, emphasized Martin Raymond. Around twenty of them have already been referred to other resources. Others could be accommodated in existing shelters or those scheduled to open soon downtown. Shuttles will also help move people experiencing homelessness. These shuttles have existed for several years in Montreal, said Josefina Blanco, responsible for the homelessness issue on the City’s executive committee. “There is work that is done upstream so that people know all the services that are available to them, not only in the city center, but throughout the territory of the city of Montreal. »
The shelter will welcome homeless people even if they are intoxicated, unless they are violent or represent a danger to others. But no consumption of alcohol or drugs will be tolerated inside, maintained Martin Raymond. Nearly twenty people were hired by the SDS to be ready to welcome the first homeless people on Friday evening.