The city of Montreal has announced plans to increase the annual funding for a Montreal organization that supports marginalized women.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says the city will give an additional $15,000 to Herstreet, a non-profit organization that helps homeless women and women in distress.
The additional money will raise the city’s annual funding to just under $118,000 which will be used towards additional resources like providing more beds and improving medical assistance.
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During a press conference to make the announcement, Rosannie Filato, Executive Committee member responsible for homelessness and women’s issues says that it’s important for the city to take a leadership role in dealing with homelessness.
“We have to work with the other levels of government so we need to send a message saying that the city of Montreal realizes there are needs for women and that we are acting to help them.”
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Nearly a quarter of Montreal’s homeless population are women, many of whom are outside the downtown core — something Plante says she wants to tackle.
“Often all the resources and services are more downtown which is important, we’re not denying that at all,” she explained. “But there’s also different types of homelessness in different boroughs that are not central.”
She said more details will be revealed in the city’s action plan to address homelessness, in the next few weeks.
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