WALKING. 454. This is the estimated number of people experiencing homelessness in Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec on the night of October 11, 2022. An increase of 21% compared to the last count in 2018. And this issue is becoming more and more important in Drummondville.
The fight will be long, very long, but it is not too late, believe the people on the field. The day after the Community Summit on Homelessness of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec, held in Quebec on September 15, L’Express invited François Gosselin, clinical coordinator at L’Ensoleilvent, and the mayor of Drummondville, Stéphanie Lacoste to express their views on various aspects of homelessness, their vision and possible solutions.
Your perception of the situation
FG: “The latest count shows 10,000 homeless people in Quebec, which doesn’t surprise me. But that number is just one
François Gosselin. (Photo: Ghyslain Bergeron)
approximately, because in reality it is much more dramatic. It’s based on just one day, so there’s definitely a lot we haven’t seen yet. Across the greater region we’re talking about 454, but I host almost 400 different people every year. It’s hard to calculate, I know, I took part in the counting. In one day we may have managed to house one person, but four more lost their homes. It’s constantly moving. One thing is certain: needs and demands continue to grow. At least five people are turned away from the overflow facilities in Drummondville and Victoriaville every day. If the trend continues, we will have to turn away many people this winter. We are not out of the woods yet, but it is not too late because in my opinion we have not yet crossed the line of no return.”
SL: “We are asking the municipalities to take on a greater share of responsibility, but I for my part demand that the CIUSSS assume its responsibilities at the service level. For example, it is not the city’s responsibility to find the stakeholders in a resource. We can provide support, but we cannot compensate for the services that the CIUSSS offers to the population. We need to clarify the role and responsibilities of each individual, and this is a request that has been made at the top.
What is not often mentioned, but is a reality, is that the actors on site must also be safe during their interventions. We need to provide on-site alternatives for people who become disorganized and provide them with a safe place while they reorganize.”
$20 million in funding
Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant announced $15.5 million in additional funding in response to the immediate needs of the homeless population. This amount is in addition to the $4.5 million per year planned in the 2023-2024 budget. But does it match the expectations and realities of the community?
FG: “That is definitely a good omen because if I take the overflow facility in Victoriaville, for example, I will no longer have any funding from September 30th.” How much will we receive? I don’t know. An overflow unit costs between $300,000 and $350,000 to operate. At $20 million multiplied by dozens of resources, it won’t take long for that sum to be distributed. In my opinion, this requires recurring funding, because at the moment we are constantly looking for programs that could bring us money. But we don’t develop anything during this time.”
Stephanie Lacoste. (Photo: Ghyslain Bergeron)
SL: “Of course we are happy, but the fact is that in the long term it will not be enough to compensate for the major deficits, to ensure that homelessness disappears or that we can at least support the homeless.” It’s a bandage on the wound.”
Housing
Not surprisingly, homelessness has increased with the housing crisis. In the government report we learn that evictions will be the key tipping point towards streets in 2022. There are several causes, including substance use problems, mental health disorders, and insufficient income. What housing initiatives are there here?
FG: “Emergency shelters are a base, they are necessary, but we need to develop places for the long term.” If you have no way out, you only increase your urgency, but do not solve the problem. Over time we have developed all kinds of support programs for small apartments. For example, we managed to reach agreements with apartment owners for our Prébail project: L’Ensoleilvent basically advances the first three months’ rent to the person concerned, which guarantees a certain level of security for the owner and the tenant. We then provide the tenant with appropriate follow-up support so that they become independent and responsible. Usually people start paying themselves after two or three months. We also have arrangements with the Drummond Housing Office. We have really good results. Since April 1st we have managed to find accommodation for around twenty people. Without forgetting that we have transitional housing for four people and our 15 new housing units resulting from our partnership with Innov Habitat Drummond.”
Recall that in March 2022, the City of Drummondville invested $ 5.75 million to acquire and, if necessary, renovate 450 housing units in the area by 2030, including 200 by 2026. The latter are converted into affordable housing by controlling rental costs.
SL: “At the moment we are following our game plan for the first phase. We continue to take a proactive approach to this matter and seek to improve our practices. I remind you that our complete overhaul of the city development plan will help open doors for entrepreneurs. We are working on the issue on all fronts to ensure we have the appropriate number of housing units. Housing is a right. Yes, we need to invest massively in housing, but on the other hand we need stakeholders who behave appropriately to ensure that people who find housing can stay there.”
Working in silos
Before and during the summit, the siled work of various interest groups and levels of government was highlighted.
FG: “We are no longer able to work in silos, we can do nothing but work in partnership.” If I don’t have other community organizations around me to support me in my mission, I risk a lot of difficulties and vice versa . And this also applies to state institutions at all three levels. On the other hand, I would say that there is good agreement in the region with the Drummond MRC roaming partner table.
SL: “The state and federal government must work together so that the money reaches the municipalities as quickly as possible.” This is another important finding of the summit. In other provinces things are happening faster. This is no time for provincial and federal squabbles!”
The solutions
FG: “It is important to invest in housing, but there are other issues we need to focus on to solve the problem.” Currently, people with mental illness have no resources. We need more funding and addiction resources in this area. It is regrettable to know that Maison Eureka in Saint-Guillaume has to temporarily close. Between 30% and 40% of our clientele should go to a therapy center, but we cannot do this. Normally a therapy request should be answered within 48 hours, but the waiting time is currently several months. This is a significant gap and has implications for the rest of the process: if people are consuming, we cannot provide them with accommodation.”
SL: “There are experts who have told us what it would cost if we continued to fight homelessness instead of focusing on prevention. In the long term we would benefit from prevention. It has also proven successful in Finland, as the number of homeless people is decreasing.
There is a service gap, particularly in the area of sobering up beds. In emergency shelters, clients are asked not to be in a state of consumption. When people experiencing homelessness become disorganized and the police are called to their rescue, the only option we have right now is to take them to the hospital. But it is not the right place because the necessary resources are not there. We really need to become more efficient in this area and I have put this to Minister Carmant. He also told me he was coming to Drummondville.”
They chose the fortissimo terrain
Éric (pictured sitting) Mélanie and Mario (standing) recently settled against their will on the site of the former Fortissimo factory. They make it as best they can, out of sight, using tarpaulins for roofs, tents for sleeping, and ropes for drying their laundry. A small makeshift oven warms them.
“If we had the choice, we wouldn’t be here. We’re all waiting for rent. Since there are waiting lists, you have to plan well. I have been on the streets since June 2022. My wife of 13 years died three years ago. I tried to make ends meet, but in the end I lost my rent,” says Mario.
As for Mélanie, it was a romantic breakup that led her to the streets. “We take care of ourselves. During the day we visit our friends downtown, in Saint-Frédéric or Woodyatt Park.”
Éric, who is a little further away from the kindergarten, deplores the fact that “young people” are coming to destroy the facilities. “We’re not doing anything wrong. We are calm. Some came to tear our tents with knives. They even threw fireworks in our direction.”
At the moment the friends are preparing for the winter in Quebec. “We have insulating walls that we will put under the roof. We will see. There are resources like the Tablée (popular) and the Piaule that support us. There is also moral support,” says Mario.
(In collaboration with Ghyslain Bergeron)
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