Homeless shelters are so overcrowded in cold weather that twice in February the city of Montreal had to initiate emergency response to alleviate the problem, as it does in the event of a major flood or fire.
Posted at 12:00 p.m
This was stated by the city’s homelessness commissioner on Wednesday in a rare public outing that accompanies the release of an “alarm signal” in the form of an open letter1.
“This is the first time homelessness and cold are seen as a disaster,” Serge Lareault, the commissioner, said in an interview with La Presse. “It is a mechanism that is not ordinary. We don’t always trigger emergency response for fun. But it shows that we have reached a rather worrying situation. »
For what ? “Because the huts are overcrowded, because it’s cold, because there is a risk of death. »
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Serge Lareault, City of Montreal Commissioner for the Homeless
Mr. Lareault noted that overcrowding in shelters for homeless people has recently been added to the official criteria that allow the City of Montreal to initiate emergency response, such as natural disasters. This change is “historic,” he said.
These declarations allow the city, for example, to mobilize civilian security teams and release the necessary funds more quickly. It is not, however, a declaration of a state of emergency as it was in Montreal when the COVID-19 pandemic was raging.
1600 seats
The two declarations of emergency led to the opening of emergency shelters during the last cold spells. The downtown YMCA, near the intersection of Stanley and Sainte-Catherine streets, served every time.
“This place, which can accommodate 80 people, will benefit from the presence of workers, as well as from security forces hired by the agglomeration, who will ensure proper operation, the city announced on February 24. Also, a room will be made available exclusively for women visiting the site. »
According to Serge Lareault, several dozen people used this emergency shelter.
“We don’t do this for free,” he said. “This is because there is a lack of seats in the usual network. » When a cold snap is imminent, a committee meets and reviews the occupancy status of the shelters.
Montreal currently has 1,600 emergency places spread across 31 reception sites. In addition to the “simple” lack of space, the admission criteria of certain institutions are also pushing homeless people towards emergency shelters.
“People who find themselves out in the cold at night are people with mental health and addiction issues. who are in a state of intoxication. Who are not accepted or cannot go to regular accommodation,” Mr Lareault said.
What Montreal lacks are accommodations capable of receiving, caring for, and stabilizing this clientele. These are the people you see on the street at night.
Serge Lareault, City of Montreal Commissioner for the Homeless
discouragement and solutions
Serge Lareault, who has been Commissioner for seven years, rarely speaks in public despite the prominence the issue of homelessness has gained in Montreal since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As “12 to 14 hours” he gives his working days for the last few years.
“When the commissioner’s post was created, there were a lot of expectations. People want me to be in the public square to claim,” he said. But you have to understand “that I have a job that is sometimes much more overshadowed”, especially when it comes to advising the administration and elected representatives.
But this time, as the Quebec budget approaches, Mr. Lareault felt it was important to draw attention to the homelessness crisis the metropolis is going through.
“What has really struck me over the past few months has been the number of calls from Montrealers telling me how discouraged they are about the situation. People come to the conclusion that there is no solution. But that’s not true, there are solutions,” he said.
“The cry of alarm we are sending to the city of Montreal is that we need to step on the gas. Older governments need to invest in shelters, invest in public housing. It’s coming out in dribs and drabs, public housing. »