The Hôtel des Arts, in the heart of downtown Montreal, was requisitioned by the City of Montreal to host the first homeless shelter in February, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“With the 24/7 shelter at the hotel, it will meet the needs of the Aboriginal community in Montreal,” said Heather Johnston, Executive Director of Quebec Native Projects (PAQ), which oversees this service.
The organization manages two shelters for indigenous homeless people in Montreal. It is one of them, located at the Guy-Favreau complex and accommodating around fifty people, which will soon be moving to the Hôtel-des-Arts.
“By moving its services to this location, PAQ will free up premises at the Guy-Favreau complex, which will again be available and can be used by the health network if necessary,” the City of Montreal said in a press release Thursday.
It should be remembered that around 200 emergency beds for people living in the streets are missing this winter, compared to last year. The large shelters are full and refuse people every night.
A first 24/7 refuge for locals
This new refuge at the hotel will have the particularity of being open at all times, becoming the first service of its kind for the itinerant Aboriginal population of Montreal. It is also a “high eligibility threshold” service, that is to say, which welcomes the entire population, whether or not they are intoxicated.
The Hôtel des Arts is located on rue Saint-Dominique, near the Saint-Laurent metro station and Milton Parc, a nerve center where many homeless people live in the metropolis.
“The idea is also to better serve the community in Milton Parc,” confirms Heather Johnston. This new service will open its doors on February 1. It could start earlier, if labor recruitment accelerates. “The challenge is to find frontline workers,” says Heather Johnston. Especially with the Omicron variant ”
111 places for homeless people with COVID
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, THE PRESS
The Chrome hotel, located on René-Lévesque Street in Montreal, will welcome 111 people this week.
As announced by Press Wednesday, the Chrome Hotel, located on René-Lévesque Street in Montreal, will welcome 111 people this week. “This new site will accommodate people experiencing homelessness who test positive for COVID-19 and who do not require hospital care as well as those awaiting a result and those who must isolate themselves”, said the City of Montreal in a press release Thursday.
This is more than double the number of places reserved for itinerant persons declared positive. In fact, they were previously isolated at the Abri du Voyageur hotel, on Sainte-Catherine Street West, which had around 40 places.
This service is managed jointly by the Mission Old Brewery organization and the CIUSSS du Center-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.