The “not in my backyard” syndrome has taken its toll on the homeless shelter project in Ahuntsic-Cartierville: the City of Montreal confirms that the seller of the coveted building refuses to sell to it, due to the lack of social acceptability in the neighbourhood.
“It’s unfortunate, we had an agreement with the broker, but we were turned down before we could even properly define and explain the project, even though there are needs in the sector,” lamented Robert Beaudry, head of homelessness on the executive committee, during a telephone interview on Friday.
The Gracia Foundation, which owns the building for sale on Rue Bois-de-Boulogne, a former palliative care center, no longer wants to sell to the City due to the outcry from residents of the neighborhood, who have organized meetings, petitions and a demonstration, planned for Saturday.
Mr. Beaudry admits that the City finds itself in a very uncomfortable situation: there are more and more homeless people, encampments are multiplying in several sectors, the population blames municipal elected officials for their inaction – although the funding of homelessness resources is the responsibility of the provincial government – but citizens are waging war against shelter projects in their neighbourhoods.
In addition to the case of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, there is resistance in the Rosemont district towards a shelter project in the Sainte-Bibiane church, which the City wants to buy.
Robert Beaudry acknowledges that the population’s concerns are legitimate. Homelessness is often associated with crime, drug addiction and mental health problems.
Do not repeat the Benoît-Labre case
“But what creates the most insecurity is not the presence of resources, but rather people who do not have access to resources,” he emphasizes.
Resources, when they are well supported by the health network, well integrated, well restored and permanent, contribute to resilience, if we do not want people to be left to their own devices in the public space.
Robert Beaudry, responsible for homelessness on the city’s executive committee
At the same time, Mr. Beaudry admits that the case of Maison Benoît-Labre, in the Saint-Henri district, should not be repeated: this shelter, which includes a space for drug consumption, is perhaps too big for the sector where it was set up, he says. These services should perhaps have been distributed to different locations, he adds.
“But the Bois-de-Boulogne and Saint-Bibiane projects have nothing to do with Benoît-Labre,” he maintains. “We have ways to reduce overflows in public spaces.”
“When we know that the primary cause of homelessness is eviction from one’s home, the victims are Mr. and Mrs. Average. They are our neighbors, our grandparents, our aunts who find themselves without housing. We need to find them a roof and help to enable them to find a permanent roof.”