The upcoming reopening of an emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness is dividing citizens in a residential sector of the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.
Posted at 8:21 p.m.
Housed in the basement of the Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Rosaire church, the Villeray shelter project piloted by the Refuge Cœur de l’île allows about fifty people to spend the night in the warm during the months of winter.
“Our goal is for homeless people to have a break,” explains Romain Petit, coordinator of Refuge Cœur de l’île. People come to spend the night here on a camp bed, can take a shower, warm up. »
People addicted to alcohol or drugs can find a bed there, “provided they behave respectfully towards others,” he says.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Romain Petit, Oscar Velasquez and Maxime Bonneau
The shelter was in operation at the same location last winter. During this period, residents of the area say they saw an increase in incivility in front of the church, in the surrounding streets and near the neighboring elementary school during the day, when the shelter was closed.
“There was homelessness in Villeray before, but when the shelter is open, it’s day and night,” says Simone (fictitious first name), a mother who lives in the area and who asks to keep anonymity to be able to speak on a controversial subject that affects his family’s sense of security.
Citizens saw acts of a sexual nature committed near the church, and syringes were found near a business, reports Simone, a situation that illustrates the tensions generated by the displacement of homelessness, which is emerging from more in addition to downtown.
The sense of security in the neighborhood is declining, also believes a shopkeeper in the area, who also does not wish to be identified.
“Last year, a homeless person kicked me hard in the stomach when I asked him out,” she says. Since then, I’ve been scared. The problem is that they have nowhere to go during the day, so they are in the area, in the businesses… I understand the needs, and I am in favor of helping people, but the supervision is absent, and it is the merchants and residents who pay the price. »
This fall, Simone and neighbors distributed flyers on the issue of emergency shelter in the neighborhood and started a Facebook group, where the debate quickly got bogged down, she says.
Some people are 100% for, others 100% against… Personally, I’m not against it, we just have to find a way to communicate better and find solutions.
Simone (fictitious first name)
She knows that her initiative may be perceived as “not in my backyard” by some.
“We are in Villeray, we vote Québec solidaire, it’s wokeland here. But when you’re afraid to go home alone at night… You tell yourself that things have to change. »
Leave the city center
Kathleen Levesque, spokesperson for the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, notes that the borough is aware of the tensions experienced by citizens.
“A meeting is scheduled for next week with all the stakeholders in the file,” she said. We have regular discussions with the citizens’ committee. We will evaluate some solutions. This is an issue that is close to our hearts. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The interior of the emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness located in the basement of Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Rosaire church
The organization Refuge Cœur de l’île says it wishes to keep its shelter in the basement of the Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Rosaire church for another year and a half, and would like to find another location thereafter, notes Maxime Bonneau, president of the shelter’s board of directors and director of the PACT de rue organization.
The basement of the church is dark, there isn’t really any light from outside coming in here. In the long term, we would like to make the shelter last, but not necessarily here.
Maxime Bonneau
Resources for people experiencing homelessness must also be located outside the city center, says Oscar Velasquez, clinical coordinator at the Villeray shelter. “People want to leave the city center, precisely to get away from consumption, or not to fall back into the same patterns. »
Maxime Bonneau says he is ready to respond to the concerns of people in the neighborhood, but says he was not contacted last winter by worried citizens when problems were experienced.
“If we are not told what the concerns are, how can we change things? “, he asks.
Finland is on track to eliminate homelessness
Thirty years ago, there were 16,000 homeless people in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. This summer, there were only 2,000. A figure that includes people who live with relatives or family: in fact, the number of people who sleep rough in Finland is practically zero. How did Finland do it? Contrary to the traditional approach of providing temporary accommodation, Finland has launched a national project called “Housing First” aimed at quickly and permanently providing an apartment to people experiencing homelessness. . The government has built thousands of new homes. “The Finnish experience demonstrates the effectiveness of the fight against homelessness through a combination of financial assistance, integrated support services and a greater supply of housing, notes a recent analysis by the Organization for and Economic Development (OECD). Using just one of these levers is unlikely to work. »