An organization dedicated to helping the homeless said services are strained more than ever as more than 30,000 people are believed to be homeless in Montreal and 80,768 are using night-time services such as shelters.
The Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinerants de Montréal (RAPSIM) explained the situation at its annual meeting with its 109 member organizations Monday.
But there is some good news. The federal government is adding $2.8 million per year until 2019 as bridge funding until a 10-year plan is created.
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Until 2016, Montreal received $7.8 million.
Liberal MP for social development, Jean-Yves Duclos, a guest of the RAPSIM conference, said the federal government is committed to helping families facing difficult housing situations.
“We’ve announced that we’re going to build a national housing strategy so that the communities here in Montreal have a long-term vision and support directed from the federal government,” Duclos said.
For local organizations, this means they will have access to more grants from the federal government to help build affordable housing.
Chez Doris Executive Director Marina Boulos-Winton said the extra funds from the federal government are welcome.
“Social housing is not something that you can accomplish with private donations alone,” she said. “There is not enough wealth in Montreal for that.”
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Chez Doris would like to own a low-income housing residence.
By owning a residence, the group can help clients build the life skills needed to them get back on their feet.
Chez Doris already operates a residence for aboriginal women which Boulos-Winton said is running successfully.
“These are women who need a lot of support, a lot of follow through,” Boulos-Winton said. “[We want] to try to integrate them into the economy.”
The West Island’s AJOI also has big plans for the future and a federal grant will get it closer to achieving those goals.
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AJOI spokesperson Tania Charron said it wants funding for a study to better understand homelessness before moving on to bigger plans.
“Our vision is a three-storey building with the first floor dedicated to rental revenues, the second floor to 14 bedrooms welcoming homeless youth, and a third floor dedicated to a shared work space,” Charron said.
The estimated cost of the project is $3.1 million.
Despite the welcome news of additional funds, Boulos-Winton remains cautious.
“The budget hasn’t increased that much more,” Boulos-Winton said. “So I think we’ll wait and see.”