The homeless shelter opened in Quebec last year, the Cheminée nuit, will not be back this winter, Le Devoir has learned. Burned by the difficulties experienced last year, the YMCA wishes to replace it with several small shelters in order to reduce the pressure on its staff.
“There would be several places on a more human scale,” explains Olivier Martin, director of family and community support programs at the YMCA Saint-Roch. “Last year, we found ourselves some nights with 70 people at once, it was a bit stupid.”
Two places have already been identified to accommodate homeless people at night, he said, specifying that there would be “ideally three”.
All would be in the Saint-Roch district within walking distance of each other and the location of the former shelter. According to our information, the basement of the Saint-Roch Church recently taken over by the city is one of them.
The resources would open their doors earlier than last year, in mid-November instead of December like the Night Chimney.
This resource opened its doors in the premises of the Rendez-vous downtown soup kitchen. As Le Devoir reported, the experience turned out to be more chaotic and difficult than expected with high staff turnover. “We are burning our world doing this,” explains Mr. Martin. “At 70 people, it’s not manageable. There is too much at stake. »
From the outset, he said, staff often lacked experience. “We won’t hide it, people who apply for night shifts don’t have a lot of experience and we ask a lot of them. »
The YMCA imposes its conditions
In this context, the YMCA suggested to other players in the sector that it would not be ready to operate the place under the same conditions as last year. A committee made up of representatives from the city, the health community and several organizations met recently to find a solution.
“We were lucky last year that the YMCA raised its hand,” says the coordinator of the Regroupement pour l’Aide aux Itinérants et itineuses de Québec (RAIIQ, Pascal Hardy. “But it was a challenge, it was becoming a bit problematic in terms of space.
However, last year’s experience, he said, made it possible to better understand the needs. Some people come to the shelter to sleep, others to socialize. According to him, it would therefore be necessary to provide separate places for everyone. “If we force them to sleep, they will still stay outside and wander. »
Mr. Hardy wants the new formula to be more sustainable and allow the hiring of more experienced employees. A challenge that promises to be significant as already existing social organizations must reduce their services due to a lack of sufficient staff. This is the case of Projet LUNE, a women’s shelter in Saint-Roch which had to close its night service in September.