According to a report from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) obtained by La Presse, more than a fifth of the facilities housing children under protection in Quebec are in a significant state of disrepair.
Published at 2:02 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
Of the 139 rehabilitation centers (youth centers) and group homes in the country, 19 are in a dilapidated condition considered “poor” (Rating D) and 11 are in a “very poor” condition (Rating E). This means its infrastructure “exhibits a high to very high level of deterioration and deficiencies” and that the building requires “significant and sometimes urgent” work.
In Laval, 5 of the 14 housing units on the island are in poor condition, according to MSSS. Two of these units are located at the Cartier Rehabilitation Center (Youth Center). La Presse revealed on Monday that due to lack of space, the CISSS de Laval had to house “tanner children” in rooms that resembled prison cells. Two studies are currently underway on this topic 1.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
At the Cartier Rehabilitation Center in Laval, which MSSS says has a “poor” index of disrepair, only a concrete bed frame provides the space in which certain young people live in seclusion.
In 2021, the CISSS de Laval submitted a modernization project for all its youth facilities. Accordingly, the rooms in the Cartier rehabilitation center are “not adapted to the needs of young people (outdated, poorly furnished and without windows)”. Natacha Pelchat, national representative of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS) in Laval, affirms that the deterioration of the premises has an impact on the work of those involved.
If the environment is not sufficient, I cannot respond to the needs of young people and give them every opportunity to get through. The more the years go by, the more we don't have to innovate with anything.
Natacha Pelchat, national representative of APTS in Laval
In the Outaouais, five of the nine youth accommodation units are considered to be in poor condition, while in the Laurentians four out of five housing units are in the same situation. In particular, the Huberdeau and Sainte-Agathe rehabilitation centers have the worst obsolescence index in the MSSS (rating E). However, the Saint-Jérôme rehabilitation center, which also has an E rating, has not been used for three years.
A worker who has worked in several rehabilitation centers in the Laurentians but does not want to reveal her identity for fear of reprisals mentions that the Sainte-Agathe rehabilitation center is “almost like a prison.” “It’s dehumanizing, this environment. It's crying. […] The rooms are tiny, the children have so little space in their rooms that they have to store all their supplies in lockers outside. » However, a project for a new rehabilitation center in Sainte-Thérèse is under construction and several units from the run-down centers in the Laurentians are being relocated there.
Leaky roof in Montreal
According to the MSSS, twelve of the 24 youth shelters in the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal area are dilapidated. Several units are located at the Mont-Saint-Antoine rehabilitation center, which made headlines last year2. This center receives an E rating.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY APTS
This photo from last spring shows the deterioration of the Mont-Saint-Antoine rehabilitation center in east Montreal.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY APTS
This photo from last spring shows the deterioration of the Mont-Saint-Antoine rehabilitation center in east Montreal.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY APTS
This photo from last spring shows the deterioration of the Mont-Saint-Antoine rehabilitation center in east Montreal.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY APTS
This photo from last spring shows the deterioration of the Mont-Saint-Antoine rehabilitation center in east Montreal.
1/4
“At Mont-Saint-Antoine the roof is leaking, there is mold, the ceiling tiles are missing and dirty […]“Living there is unimaginable for young people and it is difficult to work there for our stakeholders,” comments Julie, president of the local executive of the APTS at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'. Île-de-Montreal Houle.
The director of youth protection of the CIUSSS du Center-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Assunta Gallo, indicates that 15 million will be invested by 2026 to correct the situation in Mont-Saint-Antoine. Finally, the buildings are modernized, the roofs are replaced, the windows are replaced, the bathrooms and kitchens are renovated. The work has already begun, assures Ms. Gallo. “I have a responsibility to make sure that the living conditions there are okay,” she says.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY APTS
The influx of young people at the Lanaudière rehabilitation center in Joliette is so great that an overflow unit has been built in the gymnasium.
The Lanaudière rehabilitation center in Joliette is also considered to be in poor condition (level D). Steve Garceau, national representative of the APTS for the Lanaudière region, affirms that the building's deterioration is aggravated by a significant overrun in the number of users. This center's gymnasium was confiscated to set up rooms with screens, he says.
We are stuck in a system that has never evolved. Back then the mandate was more prison-like, today we have mental health and gross negligence cases. We will have to undertake a massive project to adapt these living environments.
Steve Garceau, APTS national representative for the Lanaudière region
In Montérégie, two of eleven youth accommodation facilities are in poor condition (Class D), namely the Longueuil and Saint-Hyacinthe campuses of the Montérégie Rehabilitation Center. “We are faced with buildings that were all built at the same time, that we have not really maintained and that have problems that require major investments,” says Joëlle Lavoie-Vigeant, national representative of the APTS in Montérégie. East. We're taking these children from unsuitable environments and putting them in these buildings, which is giving them a pretty contradictory message…”
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The Longueuil campus of the Montérégie Rehabilitation Center has a “poor” deterioration index, according to the MSSS.
Current projects, analysis to follow
The MSSS states that CISSS and CIUSSS receive funds every year “to carry out projects to counteract the physical and functional obsolescence” of their centers. These are the facilities that “have the responsibility to manage priorities and ensure the safety and sustainability of the assets.”
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The game room at the Cartier Rehabilitation Center has no windows and has seen better days.
For example, in 2019, the CISSS de Laval invested in the renovation of the residential units of the Cartier Rehabilitation Center, notes the MSSS. Further work phases are planned until 2025. “This work will be combined with other facility maintenance work […] will help improve the quality and safety of places,” says the MSSS.
According to the ministry, 19 youth shelters have been “partially or completely renovated” in Quebec in recent years. Three youth rehabilitation center construction projects are also included in Quebec's infrastructure plan.
The MSSS states that the deterioration index “affects the technical elements of the building,” such as the roof and windows, and that “the furnishings and functional aspects of the units are not covered by this rating.”
In the coming weeks, the MSSS plans to begin a process to assess the elements that directly impact children's lives, such as the rooms and the outdoor courtyard. For Sébastien Pitre, national director of youth protection at APTS, there is an urgent need to take “concrete measures to improve the living conditions of children”.
1. Read the file “Tannins withdrawn in cells” 2. Read the article “DPJ Rehabilitation Center: Under Planning for the Winter”