Focus Montreal introduces Montrealers to the people who are shaping our community by bringing their stories into focus.
The program airs Saturday at 5:30 p.m., as well as Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and midnight.
Take a look at who we’re meeting this week.
Beyond Shelters
The plight of the homeless and the shelters that welcome them is often associated with desperation and sadness, but over the past few decades, that reality has started to shift.
Shelters like the Old Brewery Mission have become much more than a place for food and shelter.
They offer a wide range of professional services as they try to better connect with the communities they serve.
This new generation of homeless shelters is depicted in a book called Beyond Shelters, which launched Wednesday night at the Atwater Library.
The collection of essays, written by those working on the front lines, highlights the role shelters can play to eliminate homelessness in Canada.
Matthew Pearce, one of the book’s contributors and president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, sat down with Global’s Elysia Bryan-Baynes to discuss the book and different ways to end chronic homelessness.
For more information, visit the Old Brewery Mission website.
From homelessness to academia
Jayne Malenfant’s precarious situation as a teen cost her the chance of getting a proper high school education.
However, her life living on the streets inspired her later studies at McGill University and earned her two of Canada’s most prestigious awards — a Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship and a Vanier Canada graduate scholarship.
Now, Malenfant is on a mission to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to others in similar situations.
Her research looks at how schools can help understand and accommodate homeless youth.
Malenfant joined Global News senior anchor Jamie Orchard to talk about her life and her work.
When hunting for the best brings out the worst
The holiday season is upon us and so is the usual Christmas shopping frenzy.
Malls at this time of the year are packed with people rummaging through aisles of items, looking to score the perfect gift at the perfect price no matter what. So why does this time of year always seem to bring out the worst in people?
One Concordia University professor’s research suggests that “FOMO” — or the fear of missing out — is at the root of the problem.
Caroline Roux sat down with Bryan-Baynes to discuss her research and why the season for giving can turn even Santa’s best elf into a Grinch.