Each winter, additional resources and emergency beds are made available to people experiencing homelessness in Montreal. But Québec solidaire believes that the government should stop waiting until the last minute before revealing the funding that community groups working with this vulnerable clientele will benefit from.
In November last year, the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, announced funding of $9.7 million for the addition of 188 beds in accommodation centers for the winter season.
But according to the MP for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, this type of announcement should be made much earlier in the year to allow organizations and shelters to prepare. “From year to year, groups never know if they will be funded for winter measures and how much money they will receive,” says the person responsible for homelessness issues at Québec solidaire. “They may once again find out at the last minute. »
However, says the elected official, this way of proceeding, in addition to generating uncertainty, causes logistical problems, particularly in terms of workforce and premises management. According to him, Quebec should consider predictable funding over three years with indexation. “From there, organizations would know what to expect and could focus on developing places. »
The latest count of the homeless showed 4,000 homeless people in Montreal, while only 1,417 beds would be confirmed for this winter in the metropolis, underlines Mr. Cliche-Rivard. “I know that we will not reach 4,000 places tomorrow morning, but can we stop releasing funds with 25 or 50 more places in November? »
The MP even believes that public health authorities should take more responsibility for housing homeless people. “We have a public health crisis. There are hundreds of Quebecers sleeping on the streets. When we had a pandemic, the CIUSSS opened premises to vaccinate people. There, we have a public health crisis in Montreal. The CIUSS should develop places and warm-up areas,” he maintains. “We can’t just put this in the hands of organizations that have to submit projects [pour obtenir du financement]. »
Advocacy for permanent housing
The president and CEO of the Welcome Hall Mission, Sam Watts, recognizes that funding for winter measures often comes at the last minute, when organizations are already at maximum capacity. “I wonder every year about what we are going to do. However, it is known that winter is coming,” he says. And according to him, these are often measures aimed at responding to a problem observed in one or other of the neighborhoods. “It’s always a bit random. »
“But these actions are not really linked to the problem. The problem of homelessness is a housing problem. It takes a change, perhaps more profound on the part of governments,” he believes.
According to him, we must create springboards towards permanent housing in order to get people off the streets, a mission favored by his organization in a vision of dignity for vulnerable people, he explains. “We are not going to put mattresses on the floor in a church basement. If upstream investments were made to help people in precarious situations to stay in their homes, this would reduce the rate of entry into homelessness. »
A preliminary call for projects was submitted to the organizations, he said. While waiting for confirmation of funding for additional places, Sam Watts fears another difficult winter for the homeless.