MONTREAL – It’s a story that advocates for the homeless hear all too often – people living on the street, freezing in Montreal’s bitter winters.
“He went to the hospital and lost all five fingers. It happens every year.”
In addition to overnight shelters, Montreal has two temporary shelters.
The Warmth Shelters at 137 President Kennedy Ave. and 4120 La Fontaine Street are open from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The current policy is they only open when temperatures drop to -27 degrees or lower.
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In early January, despite the fact that the wind chill reached -28 degrees, one of the temporary shelters failed to open.
The city explained they misinterpreted the forecast, prompting a review of the shelters by Mayor Denis Coderre.
“I think that the reality is that people won’t go into a refuge and we’ve got to protect people even against themselves,” he said.
Coderre said he’s considering opening the shelters when the temperature reaches -20 degrees, not – 27 degrees.
A man who would only give his first name as Alain said the shelters should open way before the mercury gets that low.
Organizations for the homeless said that temporary shelters should be open at -15 degrees, especially since they accept pets.
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“Homeless people who have pets don’t want to leave them outside, so they stay outside,” explained Robitaille.
A petition to raise the temperature at which the shelters are opened has already gathered over 3,000 signatures.
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