Finding stability, feeling safe, thinking about your future, regaining confidence: having a roof over your head gives life back to homeless people. The newspaper met three formerly homeless people who are getting their lives back together thanks to their housing.
A 58-year-old man at risk of homelessness finds balance in affordable housing after losing his home to a fire.
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“When I arrived here, it gave me wings to recover and start afresh, it’s a springboard,” says Daniel Simoneau, seated on the bench of his piano from where he has a breathtaking view of the Saint Laurent.
For nearly a year and a half, the 58-year-old man has lived in a small studio that he rents from L’Accueil Bonneau and which is located in the Maison Claire-Ménard, rue de la Commune. Its purpose is to house people aged 18 and over who are or who are at risk of becoming homeless, and who are involved in an active and defined social reintegration project, indicates the organization which comes to help these people.
“Before, I stayed on rue Saint-Christophe, but a crazy man decided to blow up his apartment. Because of the fire, I had to leave my room,” explains Mr. Simoneau, who has always had odd jobs.
gone up in smoke
He had lived in a rooming house with five other roomers for ten years. He took care of the maintenance of the premises, among other things.
“I did the painting, I did the exterior too: the flowers, the windows and everything you can think of,” he says.
But overnight, his life and his room went up in smoke after the fire, and Mr. Simoneau had to find refuge at the Maison du Père, where he was also helping out.
Finally, after some time and thanks to friends, he settled down at L’Accueil Bonneau and found a new space to store his dozen musical instruments that he saved from the fire.
“I had to clean almost everything with a toothbrush. I still lost four amps, violins, trumpets, a trombone. It was very hard,” he confides, playing a few notes on his piano saved from the flames.
Security
For him, this apartment, which costs him $237 a month, “is security”.
“When I arrived, I was completely unbalanced. There, now, I am in the process of recovering, ”he confides.
For him, it is clear that if he had not had the Accueil Bonneau after the fire, he would not have been able to move forward in life, especially not with the price of housing in Montreal.
“It’s frightening! If I can keep my place here long enough to live well and feel comfortable, then maybe I can do something. But for the moment, Montreal, for me, is unthinkable, he observes. It is very difficult to have an apartment today.
New housing for L’Accueil Bonneau
In a few months, the Montreal organization L’Accueil Bonneau will inaugurate a new building comprising 114 studios with the Société d’Habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), in order to provide a low-rent roof for hundreds of people.
“With this new house, we are aiming for a social mix, where there will be LGBTQ men and women of all ages, who better represent society,” she adds, specifying that, for the moment, the three houses existing ones house only men.
With the explosion of rental prices in the metropolis, more and more people risk finding themselves in a situation of homelessness. To prevent or to help get out of the street, the Montreal organization, which works mainly in Old Montreal, offers 132 low-cost housing units, in three different houses: Maison Claire-Ménard, Maison Eugénie-Bernier and Joseph-Vincent House. We also offer support.
“People need housing, but also support. Most of the people we welcome need psychosocial support to get back on track. It allows people to stabilize at their own pace,” explains Ms.me Crossline.
In 2022 alone, this lifted 418 people out of homelessness, says Ms.me Crossing.
“Often, it is because of the housing crisis that people find themselves in a situation of homelessness. We often have prejudices against people who are homeless, but it is Mr. and Mrs. Everybody now who risks losing their housing, ”insists Fiona Crossling, director of L’Accueil Bonneau.