This text is part of the special notebook Listening to social causes
The Chez Doris organization’s mission is to keep vulnerable women off the streets and to help those who are homeless.
When you enter the day center of the Chez Doris organization, which helps vulnerable women, you discover three floors teeming with activity. A bingo has just ended with a group of users, nurses and workers are going back and forth in the corridors and employees are sorting donations in the wardrobe, this free clothing store where the shelter clientele.
Around 120 women pass through here every day, whether to eat a meal, take a shower, participate in an activity, pick up hygiene products, use a computer or have a little rest. And this is just one of the organization’s five service centers, which also has a night shelter, a health and social services center as well as two permanent residences. Two other residences, transitional ones, are announced for 2026 and 2027.
Chez Doris’ clientele has changed since its founding in 1977. “Economic homelessness increased significantly after the pandemic. With the housing crisis, it’s even more serious,” notes the general director, Diane Pilote.
But the mission remains the same: to keep women in a precarious situation off the streets and to help those who already experience it to escape homelessness. This involves emergency assistance, yes, but also assistance with housing, financial management and professional reintegration. And with a good dose of compassion.
A shelter for women, by women
If Chez Doris is a resource exclusively for women, it is to meet their specific needs. Many users have experienced violence in one form or another.
“A woman alone, at night, outside, cannot not experience trauma. She automatically becomes prey, believes Ms. Pilote. What women tell us is that when they find themselves in shelters with men, they do not always feel safe. »
This is also why Chez Doris mainly employs women. Out of 103 employees, only three are men, says the general director. Users, because of their trauma, often have more difficulty receiving intervention from men, who are nevertheless welcome as volunteers.
There are all kinds of volunteers. “All the types of specialists who come and give us an hour or two a week are exceptional,” says Diane Pilote. Depending on their expertise, volunteers can participate in a socio-cultural activity, demonstrate art skills, give massages, provide nail or facial treatments to strengthen self-esteem, serve meals, support the cooks, sort donations or even file tax returns, which must be up to date for women to access the rent supplement program (PSL).
A varied range of services
The PSL is part of Chez Doris’ housing programs, just like other homeless organizations. It allows women to pay rent, the maximum of which is set at 25% of their income. It is subsidies from the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal that make up the difference.
Chez Doris also has a private housing program for independent women, who can continue to attend the day center as long as they are in a precarious situation. They receive start-up help to find housing, move, pay for their first groceries, etc.
Since 2015, a housing assistance program has been specifically aimed at indigenous women, who are over-represented within the organization. According to the general director, they make up 37% of the clientele, while they constitute only 1.1% of the population of the metropolitan region, according to Statistics Canada.
Added to this are the 24 emergency beds at the night shelter, the two permanent residences — the Marcelle and Jean Coutu residence as well as the Bash Shetty residence, for a total of 46 places — and soon the two transitional residences, Saint -Hubert and Fulford residence, which will have around forty places.
“When we move the services from the center on Chomedey Street to the Fulford residence, we will be able to transform the day center,” Diane Pilote is already considering, who says she is in discussions with the government to potentially make it a mental health service center. with accommodation.
“If people with mental health problems can have a roof over their heads while they are under the care of psychiatrists, they can be reorganized within a few months [grâce au suivi de la prise de médication] », concludes the general director of Chez Doris.
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