The closure of the homeless shelter at the Guy-Favreau complex causes some relief in the Chinatown sector, but several voices were raised Friday to denounce the lack of resources for the homeless in the city center.
Since the opening of the shelter in the former YMCA of the Guy-Favreau complex in 2022, residents and business owners have complained about the neighborhood of homeless people in their area. The relocation of this resource to Verdun is rather well received, believes Winston Chan, entrepreneur and citizen committed to the revival of Chinatown. “There will be some relief, but I also think that the winter season will help,” he says.
But homelessness will persist, because it is still difficult to determine how many homeless people who use the Guy-Favreau complex shelter will move to the new shelter set up in Verdun, he said. Shuttles are notably planned to move homeless people who would like to go to the Verdun shelter.
Director General of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), Fo Niemi points out that the last few months have been particularly difficult for residents of the area, those who live in Chinatown, but also those who live in the building of the Guy-Favreau complex where security measures had to be tightened to limit access.
“The biggest lesson we should learn from this experience is that municipal and Quebec authorities who want to create services must absolutely find the means to inform and consult citizens. We must never create a situation where people find themselves faced with a fait accompli,” he says.
Support from young people
Young people came to the area around the Guy-Favreau complex on Friday to express their support for the homeless people who will have to manage differently starting Friday evening. “The first people to suffer the impacts of insecurity in Chinatown are unfortunately the people who are thrown out. Winter is coming. What social resources are offered? There are no concrete actions to help them,” said Estelle Mi, spokesperson for the Chinatown Youth Committee, a newly created group.
According to her, it is inconceivable to think that people will travel 45 minutes to get to the Verdun shelter. Authorities should have provided alternative solutions for the homeless in the city center, she said.
At the beginning of November, the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, announced funding of nearly $9.7 million to better support people experiencing homelessness. The Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of Central-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal is currently distributing the sums which should make it possible to add 188 beds in the centers of accommodation for the winter season and help organizations so that more services can be offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Cohabitation issues
For Ensemble Montréal advisor Benoit Langevin, the issue of homelessness is in fact an eternal beginning. “We still open a shelter in freezing periods,” he says about the Verdun accommodation center. “For me, it shows that we act in improvisation. It’s still done at the last minute. We save the furniture. »
According to him, the City should take a real “assessment” of the homelessness situation and develop a long-term plan to deal with it. “Opening a shelter is not like opening a convenience store. It takes some time to have trained staff and a clientele who gets used to the place. »
In this context, he adds, it is not surprising that the opening of shelters creates issues of cohabitation where they settle. “People will see vulnerable people as a threat,” he emphasizes. “These people need care, not police. »
In Verdun, the opening of the emergency shelter center in the former Gordon Gardens building continues to arouse mixed feelings. “There are residents who are super happy that we welcome people, who want to volunteer and are super motivated to help them,” explains Joanie Godin, resident of the area and member of the Good Neighbor Committee set up by the City in collaboration with the Social Development Corporation (SDS) which manages the new shelter on Gordon Street. “But there are others, especially immediate neighbors, who are not reassured and are afraid for their safety. »
What these citizens fear most, she said, is the incivility likely to take place outside the boundaries of the building on Gordon Street. “We are not worried about safety at the shelter, but rather about what could happen around it because the shelter managers cannot manage what is outside their property,” explains -She.
Even if the authorities continue to point out that the presence of this shelter in Verdun is temporary — because the City plans to transform the building into affordable housing next summer — concerns remain. “People don’t trust the City for that,” says Mme Godin. And even if the shelter closes in July as planned, some neighbors wonder what will happen to the homeless who have developed a sense of belonging to this sector. “There is a mixture of feelings. We are worried, but for them too. »
What reassures neighbors is that the Verdun accommodation center, unlike the Guy-Favreau complex shelter, will offer services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.