Resembling pieces of Lego, five of the makeshift homeless shelters donated by comedian Mike Ward have popped up in downtown Drummondville. One more option to prevent people from sleeping in the snow, according to the organization that received them.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The thermometer showed below – 20 ° C on Sunday evening when Mathieu Hébert agreed to be the first in Quebec to test the cabins, newly installed by the organization which works in roaming Ensoleilvent, from Drummondville.
These cubes are just large enough to accommodate one person (lying or sitting) and a few personal effects (1.2m by 1.2m by 2.4m). Insulated but not heated, they have a door that can be locked. People who want to use them must ask the Ensoleilvent for the key, which provides a sleeping pad, blankets and a sleeping bag.
“Seriously, it was great, the door, the light,” describes Mathieu Hébert, used to winter survival. The 28-year-old man has lived on the road for ten years. This winter, he is spending it in a camp where he has a small home in the region. According to him, Mike Ward’s “tiny house” cuts the humidity, even if it’s not hot: an average of -5°C during his test night, from Monday to Tuesday.
It is especially the “humanist” gesture of Mike Ward that touched Mathieu Hébert. “I cried [lorsque j’ai lu la nouvelle] “, he recalls.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Mathieu Hébert spent the night from Monday to Tuesday in one of the makeshift shelters offered by comedian Mike Ward.
At the end of January, the comedian made headlines when he announced on Facebook that the City of Montreal had declined the 25 “tiny houses” for the homeless that he had given him for free. The day before, a woman in the street had died during the cold snap that had hit the metropolis. Ten days earlier, a man had also been found dead under an overpass.
On Facebook, the mayor of Montreal had replied to the comedian that it was not the warm places that were lacking in Montreal, but “the people to operate the resources intended for […] those experiencing homelessness.
React quickly
In Drummondville, Mike Ward’s offer did not fall on deaf ears. “I answered on the Facebook page, explains Jacinthe Dorr, general manager of Ensoleilvent for 16 years. And while I was talking to our coordinator [François Gosselin], he emailed manager Mike Ward. »
Result: the 25 huts were delivered, in spare parts. The very first were mounted in Drummondville on Saturday. Four of them are installed in the municipal parking lot located in front of the Ensoleilvent, and another on the organization’s property.
Shelters like that have nothing to do with aesthetics, they’re not a long-term solution. I accepted because there is a worker who will take care of the human [qui l’utilise].
Stephanie Lacoste, Mayor of Drummondville
Stéphanie Lacoste also sees a benefit in reminding citizens that homelessness does not only exist in major centres. “There are also some in Drummond, we can’t hide it. »
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Stephanie Lacoste, Mayor of Drummondville
L’Ensoleilvent welcomes an average of 200 people per year. Since the pandemic, the organization has added rooms and a pavilion where users can warm up during the day. Jacinthe Dorr fears that homelessness will “explode” in the coming years, due to the repercussions of COVID-19.
Last resort solution
Among the users of the Ensoleilvent, the shelters of Mike Ward arouse lively discussions. “We see that there is a problem of resources when it is a comedian who is obliged to do the job “says one of them, sitting in the heated pavilion. “It’s inhuman for passersby, that they let people sleep at – 30 [°C] in a closed box,” said a woman by her side. “It can help out when everything is full, when it’s [froid] and you get kicked out everywhere,” replies another user.
Tiny houses are a solution of last resort. Sometimes the person should be in the hospital: they bother everyone, they don’t follow the rules. But we are aware that if we put it outside, it could freeze in a snow bank.
Jacinthe Dorr, General Manager of Ensoleilvent
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Jacinthe Dorr, General Manager of Ensoleilvent
It is also a temporary solution. The shelters are removable and should be removed in March.
Five other shelters were sent to Victoriaville on Tuesday, where they will be erected on city land and managed by the Répit-Jeunesse organization.
And the fifteen remaining shelters? They will be distributed to projects that request them, says Jacinthe Dorr.
Mike Ward declined an interview request from The Press.
Vancouver launches pilot project
In Vancouver, a pilot project will build 10 homeless shelters at a cost of $1.5 million, the government recently reported. Globe and Mail.
The freestanding structures will be located in the parking lot of a shelter in the Downtown Eastside neighborhood, which is particularly affected by homelessness. These shelters will be equipped with heating, air conditioning, a place to sleep, and will be able to accommodate up to two people.