Vulnerable and sometimes left to their own devices, many homeless people move to new apartment buildings in downtown Montreal.
• Also read: A construction project that becomes a nightmare for young owners
The project, which will see the development of 114 residential units, will see the light of day very close to the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).
More than a hundred formerly homeless people will be able to move into their homes from October.
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In an interview with our journalist, the CEO of Accueil Bonneau, an organization that helps the homeless, says she wants to diversify the community.
“We aim for a social mix, which means we want people of different ages, different genders and different socio-demographic profiles. But all people who are in precarious situations: men, women, people from the LGBTQ community, older people, younger people, students. That means young people who study but don’t have a place to settle down,” explained Fiona Crossling, while her organization has managed to relocate around 300 homeless people for the past 25 years.
The construction of the apartments will be carried out by the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal.
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Jean-Pierre Huard was homeless for a few years but could count on the professionalism of the community organization teams.
Since he is now off the streets, he has been relocated from Accueil Bonneau. He confided his troubled past to TVA Nouvelles.
“I was really on the road. i lived in hell I never managed to find private accommodation, I couldn’t. I later understood that it was through the community because I never saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I had private accommodation for a few months, I was consuming, I didn’t pay the rent, I picked myself up on the street, it was the “on and off”. But the community and the administration gave me a boost,” he explained.
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*See Harold Gagné’s explanations in the video above*