A plan for a new homeless shelter in Montreal’s Rosemont neighborhood is raising concern among citizens.
The city is in the midst of acquiring an old church to turn it into a new resource for the unhoused, but residents accuse authorities of ignoring their concerns about the proximity to multiple schools, daycares and playgrounds.
André Gatien lives just steps from Sainte-Bibiane Church, and said his children play in a nearby green alleyway all the time.
“You’ve got to ask, is that the best location for this particular kind of project?” he wonders.
Gatien is among a group of citizens feeling tense about what’s to come. He points out the high number of schools and daycares in the area.
The city is in the midst of acquiring Sainte-Bibiane Church for $2.5 million with the goal of converting it into a 24/7 homeless shelter ready to accommodate 30 people at a time.
“We are in a housing crisis. so we need those kind of services all around Montreal,” explained Robert Beaudry, a city councillor and the executive committee member responsible for homelessness.
Residents recognize more resources are needed, but feel the city is fast-tracking the project without enough consultation.
“We’re not saying no to the project. We’re saying yes, let’s just do it right,” said Gatien.
The city is hoping to finalize the purchase of the building in the coming months after it has done all its due diligence.
The plan is to quickly begin renovations, then turn the space over to a community organization that will launch the facility in 2025. Beaudry says the provincial government has also committed to providing funding.
“If it’s well designed, if it’s well founded, if it’s a good size, it’s going to be success,” said Beaudry.
With kids constantly walking or playing right next to the church, however, the residents think the city should slow down.
A petition with over 1,000 signatures demands more consultation with the public on the subject. Gatien says only local residents were recruited to sign.
“We’re asking for the city to gather data on the needs of the local population, get that data to experts, get some studies done, and get those experts to make some recommendations based on best practices,” said Gatien.
He wonders why the city is moving forward without doing more analysis, and why citizens aren’t being included in the conception of the project.
“That’s not transparency. That’s not democratic either,” he said. “If we want perennial, durable solutions, you need to do them properly and plan them out properly.”
A new resource for homeless people next to a school in Saint Henri caused concern among residents after city officials endorsed it.
Another issue residents point out is there is already an organization in the church that helps migrants that’s going to lose its space
Global News met a man who didn’t want to speak out but said he was being evicted from a residential portion of the church in a few weeks, and had no place to live.
“We had to tell the city they were there,” Gatien said, accusing the city of not even knowing there were people already living in the building.
Beaudry said the city will help the current tenants find a place to live and operate, whether it’s in the new version of the church or not.
“We’re going to accompany them if it’s going to be there or elsewhere. We’ll see,” he said.
The residents wonder why the city wouldn’t put the homeless shelter in a more industrial area, rather than a neighbourhood bursting with young families.
“It’s really difficult to find a place where you are not close to something,” said Beaudry.
Rosemont resident Ellen Sheehy, who said she has lived in the area for more than 30 years, expressed concern as well, wondering aloud if the city is being “incompetent.” She is, however, hopeful that the new shelter can be properly executed.
“If there’s proper supervision, if there’s the organization that is putting them there, if they’re prepared to commit to taking care of it, I have no problem with it,” she said.
Beaudry blames the lack of consultation with the population on the fact that it’s just so early in the process.
“We already committed to involve the population in the process,” he told Global News.
Gatien feels they’ve been hiding.
“It has to be grassroots. It can’t be top-down,” he said.
The citizens say they will keep putting pressure on the city until their voices are heard.