Amid a housing and cost of living crisis, shelter services for struggling young people and the homeless are in increasing demand.
This is particularly the case with the Auberges du coeur, which help young people get out of misdirection or prevent them from ending up on the streets, while promoting their social integration.
The young people who use the services often have no social safety net and no help from their loved ones, even though they want to get out of a problematic situation without necessarily having the necessary resources.
This is the case of Isabelle, 40 years old, who left a reception center at the age of 18 and could no longer find her way around
Not wanting to return to her parents, she still needed help and wandered through several placement centers without receiving the help she needed before arriving at a heart home.
“I went to my first animal shelter,” she says. There I was told that I might have too many mental problems and that they couldn't keep me, so they sent me to another house, and a different one.
“Then I went to another one that specialized in mental health […] But a few months later, I was told that my mental disorder was not severe enough to be here, she continues. The hostels of the heart have decided not to let me go.”
The Auberges du Coeur offers a lot of help to people who need it, but the end of their journey can be difficult if they struggle to find affordable housing, forcing many to make difficult decisions.
“Five years ago this was possible, but given the housing crisis and the high cost of housing it is very difficult and these young people will often make heartbreaking decisions as their careers focus on returning to study, it is safe to find accommodation .” and going to school is almost unthinkable,” says the general director of Auberges du Coeur, Paule Dalphond.
“They will tell themselves that they really need to find a place to live, so they will stop studying,” she adds. So we will try to support them as best we can so they don’t have to make these heartbreaking decisions.”
Demand is growing at the 32 accommodation centers affiliated with Auberges du coeur, and many of the young people who apply are struggling to find food and accommodation.
See the explanations in the video above