The opposition facing several projects for the homeless “is not acceptable” and Montrealers must prepare to see these places multiply, said Friday the boss of the Old Brewery Mission.
James Hugues participated in the announcement of an envelope of 57 million from Quebec and Ottawa to finance the opening or maintenance of 51 facilities intended for the most vulnerable.
“It must be said: this means that organizations will be more and more present in different neighborhoods across the city,” said James Hughes, CEO of Old Brewery, at a press conference.
“I think of all the projects where there are around residential communities that say, ‘no, no, not here.’ It’s not acceptable. This is not an acceptable response in my opinion,” he continued.
Mr. Hugues participated in the announcement because the envelope includes funds for several projects of his organization.
In recent weeks, the issues of cohabitation between the homeless and their neighbours have made headlines on several occasions. The problems at Maison Benoit-Labre in the South-West have particularly attracted attention.
Friday noon, on the same stage, Quebec Minister of Social Services Lionel Carmant did not want to repeat the words of Mr. Hugues.
“We have to work with the different populations, the different neighborhoods to explain to them what is going to be done, explain to them what we can do and make the projects acceptable,” said Mr. Carmant. “There is always a way to agree on a solution. This is what we do. »
The elected official responsible for homelessness at the City of Montreal, Robert Beaudry, defended the City of Montreal’s approach to choosing sites intended to accommodate shelters.
“We are always in touch with the populations when we implement services. Obviously, it is not before the acquisitions [of buildings] that we speak with the population, because we are in real estate strategies. However, we want to involve them,” he said. But be careful: “this is not a referendum, we are not putting into play the option of doing or not doing a project for vulnerable populations in a neighborhood. We do them. »
La Presse reported Friday morning that the City of Montreal is currently purchasing a building in Ahuntsic-Cartierville to install the borough’s first emergency shelter.
The Bois-de-Boulogne Center, located on the street of the same name, “will be able to accommodate up to 50 people experiencing homelessness,” indicates Montreal.
A CPE located a hundred meters away and a neighboring religious community have already expressed their opposition to the project.
