With a housing vacancy rate of 0.7%, the situation has become critical, emphasizes Mélissa Brassard, general director of TRàSH [travail de rue à Shawinigan]. For those trying to regain access to housing, the step is high, she explains.
Affordable housing is now the exception. The homelessness curve appears to have followed the rent curve. The trend has been observed since the pandemic, but has increased since the spring, explains Ms. Brassard. Illegal camps, sometimes tolerated and sometimes dismantled, have more or less visibly multiplied in Shawinigan this year.
Due to the interaction of supply and demand, the owners’ criteria have increased. Between the credit check and the required references, “the people we reach are moving further and further away from the possibility of an apartment,” explains the managing director of TRàSH.
Tents in the city
The emergence of makeshift camps since the spring is a visible expression of a lack of opportunities for the weakest, analyzes Mélissa Brassard. “With the arrival of winter, this is extremely worrying!”
“If certain situations prove unpleasant and may cause a certain annoyance, this is not the case [sont] not necessarily criminal,” states the Sûreté du Québec. Police say they are advocating a “concerted approach” with social services and community stakeholders to deal with the emergence of urban encampments.
Community estimates suggest several dozen people are homeless in the Shawinigan area. However, not everyone lives in tents. Many come and go, from one temporary solution to the next. However, in the end only funds of last resort are requested, explains the general director of TRàSH. And for lack of a way out, some find refuge under the screen.
The town hall says it is aware of the phenomenon. A large illegal camp along Avenue de la Transmission was reportedly broken up this summer. While the city administration has been working on solutions to expand the housing supply “for several months,” the local government is calling for urgent action.
A dozen beds available
At the Roland Bertrand Center, the Hamac Resource, the only one of its kind in the Shawinigan region, has a dozen beds for short- and medium-term relief. Part of the resource provides 24-hour placements and assistance with returning to housing. The other, actually an animal shelter, welcomes customers at short notice from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
The service offer remains low compared to the need, agrees Frédéric Trudelle, general director of the organization. In 2021, Hamac recorded 220 admissions or readmissions, often for longer stays. In 2022, requests rose to 480. While there is no sign of a lull in 2023, discussions are ongoing with health authorities about accommodation in hotel rooms during peak periods and extreme cold, the manager indicates.
Find a roof
At both Hamac and TRàSH, support and dignity remain key to a return to “normal.” “Offering a bed in an emergency shelter does not mean helping the person get off the streets,” emphasizes Frédéric Trudelle.
The path to homelessness is often marked by a major shock, be it a job loss, a breakup or an accident at work, notes Mélissa Brassard.
“We meet people who already had careers, were plumbers or lawyers, and at some point experienced something that led to a major break.”
The horrors of homelessness, sometimes accompanied by drug addiction or mental health problems, make returning to apartment life difficult, both sides argue.
In TRàSH, a “general” access to resources that respond more specifically to the needs of each individual, it is, first of all, the hospitality of the person who is privileged. A meeting place, a coffee, an ear, a lot of warmth, great victories come from patience and listening, one gesture at a time, explains General Director Mélissa Brassard.
Once the process of returning to housing has begun in Hamac, “housing stability” will be ensured through close support for those trying to get off the streets. From socializing to paying bills to managing the household, living under one roof is sometimes a long retraining, emphasizes Frédéric Trudelle.
In fact, without the support of a sheltered housing worker, the cycle of homelessness remains a vicious cycle, the manager claims. “It’s hard to find housing, but sometimes keeping it is even more complicated,” he explains. Center Roland-Bertrand is currently looking after around twenty new tenants.
Weapons and concrete
While the housing crisis appears to be reaching a dead end, Quebec recently announced $15.5 million to address the explosion in its homeless population. However, the phenomenon affects all cities and the need is immense, argues the municipal sector.
In Shawinigan, the general director of TRàSH wonders whether the warning signs have not been ignored and whether we now have to deal with a significant delay in a hypothetical exit from the crisis.
“Even though we’ve already submitted our activity reports, even though we’ve already raised awareness, I feel like we may have turned a little blind eye and said, ‘No, no, no, things are going well in Shawinigan.’
— Mélissa Brassard, General Director of TRàSH
Mélissa Brassard calls for concrete action, sooner rather than later. She argues that accommodation capacity will need to be increased in the near future. But in order to address the cause of the problem, an alternative housing option is necessary, the manager further argues.
From accommodation to assisted living, innovative solutions tailored to a homeless clientele have proven their worth in a step-by-step process, emphasizes Ms. Brassard. The community worker notes that taking on large construction projects will not happen overnight. In the meantime, temporary solutions could perhaps be found in the existing building stock, she suggests.
At the Roland Bertrand Center, Frédéric Trudelle emphasizes that more local workers are needed to contain the crisis.
“The habits, the lifestyle of the people we support, not all owners accept. Sometimes it can be reassuring to have a stakeholder on file…But to have more stakeholders requires more money.”
— Frédéric Trudelle, General Director Roland Bertrand Center
A team of four speakers [l’un d’eux est en absence prolongée] of the Roland Bertrand Center looks after new tenants. Mr. Trudelle estimates that we could easily double the workforce if we employed everyone.
The Department of Health and Human Services reports that homelessness increased 44% in five years, between 2018 and 2022. The figures are described as conservative by the community sector, which claims the reality on the ground is even worse.