Québec solidaire (QS) is asking that Quebec provide long-term funding for the establishment of heat centers, so that organizations do not have to deal with the uncertainty of obtaining funds to set up these resources intended for people experiencing homelessness each year.
“The organizations explain to me that year after year, they do not know when their funding will be confirmed, they do not know how much will be confirmed for winter emergency measures,” Guillaume Cliche immediately affirmed. Rivard, MP for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne and QS spokesperson for social services, in interview.
He indicated that calls for tenders from the CIUSSS are issued around this time of the year. Organizations told the MP that they will only get the money to establish the warm-weather shelters in January, he said.
“They have issues precisely that they cannot train the staff until they have the budgets, they do not know from what time to what time they will be open, they do not know how many beds [seront disponibles]then they do not necessarily know all of the premises they will be able to rent with the budget they have,” he added.
Mr. Cliche-Rivard believes that the current situation does not allow organizations that already offer heat centers to increase the number of places, or other organizations to launch heat centers, due to the uncertainty of funding. “We are almost always consolidating the same places,” he said.
QS therefore requests that the funds be provided in a sustainable manner, with funding over a period of three years confirmed.
Mr. Cliche-Rivard also calls on Public Health to “take its responsibilities” in this matter.
“We cannot leave it to organizations to develop 100% of accommodation places. Public Health must, since it is a public health crisis, take its share of the pie, then plan warm-up stops for this winter,” he argued.
The MP indicated that currently, 1,417 places would be available this winter in shelters in Montreal, while more than 4,000 people would be homeless in the metropolis, according to the last count carried out in 2021.
“I am aware that we will not necessarily reach 4000 this winter, but we have been playing in the film 1300, 1400, 1500 for a couple of years [places]without really getting close to an objective where everyone would have a place for this winter,” said Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
He maintains that a greater number of places in heat centers could improve social cohabitation, particularly in Montreal, while people experiencing homelessness often have to take refuge in the metro or in building entrances to find shelter. protect from the cold in winter.
If there were more resources, if people on the street knew where they could go to find a place to spend the night with dignity, we would at the same time have much more success in terms of social tensions.
Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, MP for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne and spokesperson for Québec solidaire on social services
The office of the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, reacted to the exit of the solidarity MP, indicating that “the very large part of the funding granted by the Government of Quebec to organizations working with itinerant populations is annual funding, therefore recurrent “.
“These amounts have been increased numerous times over the years, often several times a year. The budget for the Action Plan is now 410 million, up 70% on an annual basis, which has allowed us to be the first government to develop roaming resources open year-round, in all regions. of Quebec,” we can read in a written statement.