The City of Montreal is hoping a transition centre will reduce the number of homeless people suffering in the cold through the winter. Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s administration is partnering with L’Anonyme to establish a permanent transition centre, which will come in the form of trailers stationed in an abandoned lot on Notre-Dame and Sicard streets in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area near the St. Lawrence River. The centre will provide 36 people with access to transitional housing starting Dec. 1, the city says. “No one should have to live in a tent,” the mayor said. “No one should have to live on the street. The transition hub will therefore offer a temporary alternative. Those welcomed there will not only find a safe place, but also a bed, support, and the time needed to catch their breath and plan for the future.” Each trailer will have six rooms with bunk beds, and residents will have access to toilets, showers and shared kitchen areas. The collection of converted trailers will operate 24/7 and provide support to access health care, housing and other resources. Montreal will pay $1.4 million for the project, and Quebec will use a portion of the $18 million allocated to Montreal for emergency winter measures for homelessness. The city’s news release says that the site will reserve spaces for those people who are less likely to use traditional resources. One-third of spaces will be reserved for women and for LGBTQ+ individuals. L’Anonyme is active in the area, promoting safe behaviours and relationships, while working to prevent sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. “We have a collective responsibility to ensure that people experiencing homelessness have access to dignified, safe, and accessible housing,” said L’Anonyme executive director Julien Montreuil. “While the current project provides an initial response for those at the Notre-Dame vacant lot, it must be part of a broader set of actions to ensure their long-term stability.” The emergency shelters on Notre-Dame Street in the eastern part of the city are expected to be functional by Dec. 1. In September, the city counted about 200 tents housing about 180 people in the encampment that has continued to grow. Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has earmarked $28 million for emergency shelters, and Prime Minister Mark Carney promised on Friday to end homelessness in Canada within 10 years. - With files from The Canadian Press
