It is not by rejecting or marginalizing community organizations that we will succeed in resolving the crises related to homelessness, mental health, housing or addictions. On the contrary, we are calling for immediate, transparent and genuine collaboration with the City of Montreal and the Ministry of Health and Social Services. It is time to stop looking the other way. It is time to make bold collective decisions to confront these social challenges with determination and solidarity.
The Centre-Sud neighbourhood of Montreal has always stood out for its tolerance and solidarity. Supported by a diverse network of community organizations, the different populations could hope to receive services in response to their multiple challenges. However, the deterioration of the social climate in recent years has exacerbated tensions and we are seeing the emergence of the “not in my backyard” syndrome.
We are thus alerted by our community organizations that are experiencing daily rejection and aggression. Faced with this growing hostility, they must redouble their vigilance in their work while their conditions are already precarious. This situation is intolerable. We cannot ignore this climate of insecurity that hinders their fundamental mission of support and mutual aid. Their expertise and unwavering commitment make them front-line players in responding to the urgent needs of our communities.
Obviously, the context of increasing vulnerability for the entire population explains this phenomenon. But it is also the misunderstanding of the services offered and the lack of information that fuel this rejection. While a participatory approach could promote acceptance and a more harmonious integration of new social initiatives in the neighborhood, we observe the opposite. The lack of transparency, information and upstream collaboration with the neighborhood leads to strong resistance, thus increasingly compromising community cohesion. It is clear that with a weakened population, the imposition of social initiatives reinforces the latter’s feeling of injustice and resentment. Our community organizations are now more busy managing this hostility than acting on the ground.
This lack of planning thus impairs our ability to answer the big question of this period: how can we facilitate cohabitation and social diversity in times of crisis?
Only real and sustained collaboration will make it possible to find adequate and humane answers. It is urgent to reverse the “not in my backyard” syndrome by focusing on transparent communication, inclusive actions and increased awareness to promote solidarity rather than division. Our experience, as coordinator of the Centre-Sud and Faubourg Saint-Laurent neighbourhood tables, has shown us that consultation leads to positive social transformations in the neighbourhood. Let’s continue on this path.
We are urgently appealing to the City of Montreal and the Ministry of Health and Social Services to consolidate our collaboration so that we can provide dignified support to people in vulnerable situations. Let’s anticipate temporary projects to better incorporate them into the realities of the neighbourhood. Let’s include these projects in a sustainable, long-term vision. Let’s integrate and raise awareness among the neighbourhood, because together we can build appropriate solutions. And let’s provide financial support to the community sector to finally enable it to carry out its missions for a fairer and more inclusive Centre-Sud.
*Co-signed this letter: Annie Aubertin, Executive Director, Spectre de rue; Béatrice Mercier, Centre d’éducation et d’action des femmes de Montréal; Charles Fillion, Executive Director, Centre St-Pierre; Cynthia Eysseric, Acting Executive Director, Quebec Lesbian Network; Daniel Lauzon, Executive Director, Association Les Chemins du Soleil; Guillaume Le Negaret, Executive Director, Sidalys; Guillaume Tremblay-Gallant, Executive Director, Quebec HIV/AIDS Portal; Guylaine Michaud, Executive Director, Entraide Léo Théorêt; Hector Zambrano, Executive Director, Movement for Integration and Retention in Employment (MIRE); Laurence Mersilian, Executive Director, CAPAHC; Marie-Noëlle L’Espérance, Dans la rue; Melissa Duclos, Deputy Executive Director, Ma Chambre; Nathalie Fortin, Executive Director, Gestion des Trois Pignons; Rafaël Provost, Executive Director, Together for Respect for Diversity; Victor Balsis, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Friends of the Sainte-Marie Current.