Roaming | The Old Brewery Mission relies on three solutions

(Montreal) The subject of homelessness was put on the back burner during the election campaign, deplores the Old Brewery Mission, which is taking advantage of World Homelessness Day this Monday to bring solutions to the fore to fight against this scourge.

If the pandemic has led to an increase in the number of homeless people in Montreal, it has at least made it possible to highlight the long-standing demands of the community, underlines the director of communications of the Old Brewery Mission, Marie-Pier Therrien.

“We now have 24/7 places on the emergency services plan, meaning that people no longer need to go out in the morning with their things and come back in the evening to queue. These are resources open year-round,” says Ms.^me Therrien in interview.

It also evokes the maintenance of nearly 200 places in the former building of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, which had first been made available in various hotel establishments in Montreal during the health crisis.

Access to permanent housing all year round is one of the three pillars proposed by a group of organizations, including the Old Brewery Mission, to put an end to homelessness in the Quebec metropolis.

Their common vision called “Three steps more” also invites the government to finance and support 2,250 people in housing over five years in order to relieve emergency services.

The third step to take is to create a “coordinated reception system” to ensure collaboration between the various health and social organizations and services.

“It’s very difficult right now to follow an individual and get an overview of the situation in Montreal. Each organization has its own databases and does what it can with the collaboration of the client, but the continuum of services is difficult to ensure,” says the director of communications.

Last year, the Government of Quebec presented an interdepartmental homelessness action plan extending until 2026. The implementation of its content remains “partial and precarious” regarding funding, however, notes Ms.^me Therrien. Coordination of actions between levels of government is also lacking.

The government’s plan revolves around three axes: prevention, support and intersectorality.

For those wishing to help someone who is homeless, it is suggested that they hand out gift cards for essential needs, such as coffee or food, rather than handing out cash directly. Purchasing tickets for public transit can also be a preferred option.

“These are little everyday things that can be useful to them”, recommends M^me Therrien, as well as referring them to services according to their needs.