Several elected officials participated Monday morning in the inauguration in downtown Montreal of what is described as “the largest housing building intended to combat homelessness in Quebec.”
The Le Christin building, located on rue Christin, between rue Sainte-Catherine and boulevard René-Lévesque, in the city center, will allow nearly a hundred people in vulnerable situations not only to have access to housing , but also to benefit from on-site psychosocial support, indicated the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant.
More than 80% of tenants in the 114 housing units will benefit from rent supplements which will allow them to pay only 25% of their income for housing.
It feels like if you weighed 300 pounds, now you weigh 10, so much so that the pressure is gone
Avoid sleeping on the street
Monique Charrette, aged 67, has been one of the tenants of Christin since December 15.
She told The Canadian Press that she “got kicked out” of the home where she lived for 15 years “because of renovations and evictions.”
She therefore found herself in various short-term accommodations for people in difficulty, before being accepted as a tenant in the new building in the Latin Quarter.
“My God, it’s a total relief,” the woman said, explaining that she became “a little depressed” when she had to sleep in the emergency shelters.
“It feels like if you weighed 300 pounds, now you weigh 10, so much so that the pressure is gone,” said the tenant to describe the relief that the security of having long-term housing provides.
“I couldn’t see myself, at 67, starting to sleep on the street,” added M.me Cart.
The crux of the matter: housing construction
At a press conference, Minister Carmant indicated that during the last economic update, the Government of Quebec had announced that “500 housing spaces for people experiencing homelessness in Quebec would be added” and that currently, it There would be between 300 and 400 “units in the projects”.
“All we want is to take the pressure off shelters and transition. So, every place that is added for us is welcome,” the minister underlined Monday morning.
But according to Fiona Crossling, general director of Accueil Bonneau, Montreal needs “several thousand additional housing units” for people at risk of homelessness.
She explained that the last census on the subject, which dates from 2022, reported 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in Quebec and that the majority of these homeless people are in Montreal.
“This count consisted of visible people that we managed to count in one night. So we know that the number is much higher,” said M.me Crossing.
She added that “the sinews of war” is “the construction of housing of all kinds, but mainly […] affordable housing, social housing and housing that organizations like Accueil Bonneau will be able to manage for vulnerable people.”
Le Christin belongs to the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal, and Accueil Bonneau will manage its activities in order to support people experiencing homelessness “towards residential stability”.
The mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, indicated that “Christin must be a model to be reproduced” and that “all partners must remain mobilized so that we continue on this momentum”.
With a production budget of $23.5 million, the project received financial contributions from the federal government, the government of Quebec and the City of Montreal.