Managers of some Montreal homeless shelters report a crisis situation as growing staff absenteeism due to COVID-19 threatens to cause service disruptions during the coldest period of the year. winter.
From December 26 to January 1, coronavirus outbreaks took place in 27 shelters in Montreal; 110 employees and beneficiaries tested positive for COVID-19 during this period according to health authorities.
Michel Monette, CEO of CARE Montreal, says a humanitarian crisis is upon us. In an interview on Thursday, he said about 30% of his employees were not working and 25% of users had tested positive for COVID-19.
The closure of dozens of beds will be considered if the situation does not improve. Some services have already been suspended, in particular those providing psychosocial assistance.
“The shelters are at full capacity,” according to Mr. Monette. “Every day, three or four employees get a positive test and it just keeps on going. “
Sam Watts, director of the Mission Bon Accueil, reports that the 108 hotel beds requisitioned by the City of Montreal to accommodate the homeless are already all occupied. His main concern, however, is the shortage of staff, especially in the smaller, more vulnerable shelters.
The shelters are at full capacity.
If services were to be cut off at any of the city’s three main shelters, the situation would be dire, according to Sam Watts.
However, he affirms that all possible means are deployed to protect the staff of the centers: use of masks, rapid tests, distancing and setting up third-dose vaccination clinics. He ensures that the vaccination rate is high among his staff, which may have avoided the worst so far.
Nakuset, who runs the Native Women’s Shelter in Montreal, reports that his organization has been lucky so far this winter, with few cases of COVID-19. Due to the push for the Omicron variant, the Home decided last month not to admit any more new beneficiaries, a measure Nakuset wants to be able to lift as soon as possible.
However, she regrets that the City of Montreal has deployed fewer emergency resources this year than last year, even if the challenges are greater. “There are more cases of coronavirus, more homeless than last year, but fewer services,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.
Nakuset says she had to conduct a fundraising to keep open a warming tent that was set up last year after a man froze to death outside after a downtown shelter closed. However, she learned that six workers at the tent contracted COVID-19.
“We manage things on a daily basis in order to keep the place safe enough for staff and users and not having to close the premises. “
In an email, a spokesperson for Mayor Valérie Plante’s office said the authorities were considering the possibility of opening other emergency accommodation centers.
The memo states that “We have never shied away from our responsibility to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable and we will leave no one behind.” She adds that in 2022 the City doubled its budget allocated to the fight against homelessness.
Sam Watts and Marc Monette point out, however, that new beds will not solve everything; shelters need supervisory staff.
Mr Watts hopes for a broad reform of the provision of services to homeless people in the city. This should include coordination mechanisms to act according to the different needs of users and their state of health rather than having an addition of underfunded resources.
The Quebec government should introduce a rent supplement system which, according to Sam Watts, would allow some homeless people to leave the streets and be properly housed.