Montreal police serve a meal to heal their relationship with the homeless

Montreal police officers lined up to dish out an afternoon meal at the Old Brewery Mission on Tuesday.

It is part of what police and the head of the mission call the start of a new relationship between the city’s homeless and law enforcement.

READ MORE: Montreal homeless at Old Brewery Mission nervous after police shooting

Jimmy Cloutier, a 38-year-old longtime client of the mission, was shot and killed by police outside the building in January.

It happened while officers were responding to a call about a stabbing nearby.

“It was a shocking day and I think the shock still reverberates,” Matthew Pearce, head of the Old Brewery Mission, told Global News.

WATCH BELOW: The death of a homeless man shot by Montreal police has left itinerants and employees at the Old Brewery Mission angry. But, as Amanda Jelowicki reports, Mission president Matthew Pearce hopes his recent meeting with the police chief will improve relations.

2:42 Matthew Pearce hopeful after meeting police chief

That incident prompted Pearce and the police to come up with new ways to build trust between them. For Pearce, one of the solutions is for officers to have regular interactions with his clients before a crisis situation.

Many officers already visit the mission on a regular basis.

Giuseppe D’Ignazio is one of them.

“When you speak with people you realize it could be my brother, my family, it opens your mind.”

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Another solution is increased training for officers.

Montreal police will soon learn new tools from mission staff.

“Police learn well how to deal with tense situations in the public domain, what they didn’t learn is do it differently for those who are mentally ill or in a high state of vulnerability,” Pearce explained.

READ MORE: Montreal’s Old Brewery Mission steps up to heal police-homeless relations

Montreal’s police chief, Philippe Pichet says the specialty training program will start with officers in downtown stations and eventually be rolled out across the force.

“We can’t just wait until there is an incident, we all are open to more tools and more training,” said Pearce.

The head of the mission and Montreal’s police chief will meet twice a year to discuss how to handle any challenges.