The mayoress of Montreal on Wednesday condemned the “absence” of social services in efforts to restore luster to the neighborhood surrounding Émilie-Gamelin park.
Homeless people and drug addicts in the area do not receive the necessary assistance to relieve their ailments and, by extension, those in the neighborhood, argued Valérie Plante, immediately contradicted by the main parties concerned.
“Those who are not around the table are the Integrated University Center for Health and Social Services (CIUSSS), lamented Ms.me Plante, on the sidelines of a press conference. Me, I need their expertise, I need them to come and relieve the pressure in a sector that is heating up. » Mme Plante was referring to the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
What is missing are teams to support vulnerable people in terms of mental health, in terms of addiction.
Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal
“There have already been patrols of nurses in the streets. There are no more,” she continued.
This downtown area has been making headlines for months because of the deteriorating social and economic climate there. Two weeks ago, the flagship of the Archambault chain, located at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Berri, announced its closure after more than 100 years in the neighborhood.
Mme Plante explained that the city had held an emergency meeting in order to find short-term solutions. “We are on the move,” she said. We must go further and support traders even more. She argued that the City is investing and will continue to invest millions in the sector.
But social services do not fulfill their mandate in this sector, according to the elected official, who says she is launching “a call from the heart”.
“The CIUSSS – Health – must deploy appropriate services to ensure that the cohabitation goes well. And that’s what’s missing right now,” she said.
“We can’t force someone to use a shelter”
The CIUSSS du Centre-Sud does not hear it that way. His reaction was immediate.
“We are surprised by this statement when we have already been present in the field for years in order to intervene directly, in an innovative way, with populations who need it in order to facilitate their access to mental health services”, reacted spokesperson Jean Nicolas Aubé by email. Mr. Aubé made a long list of committees and consultation tables in which his organization participates.
“In homelessness and mental health, the responsibility of the health network is to provide care and social services to people who request it, which we do,” he added.
It is important to say that we cannot force someone to use a shelter, if that person does not want it.
Jean Nicolas Aubé, spokesperson for the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud
Minister Lionel Carmant’s office preferred not to comment on the case.
The official opposition at City Hall also criticized the mayor’s exit.
“Put the blame on the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal is not the response that the people of Montreal, merchants in the sector, community organizations and the most vulnerable people expect. from their mayor,” reacted elected official Benoit Langevin. “I would like to remind the Mayor of Montreal that the City has a duty to act on the issues affecting its territory. »
The Montreal Support Network for Single and Homeless People (RAPSIM) applauded the mayor’s request for more resources, while refusing to hold homeless people responsible for the sector’s difficulties.
“While it is certain that the needs of people experiencing homelessness must be addressed from the angle of health and not from the angle of security and repression, it must nevertheless be remembered that the non-vitalization du Village, which is not new by the way, is not the result of homelessness,” spokeswoman Annie Savage said. We must be careful not to divert the debate. »