It’s a first for Chez Doris.
The Montreal shelter inaugurated a rooming house for 20 vulnerable women in the Ville-Marie borough Tuesday.
“It will alleviate the pressure off our shelter, our emergency shelter, and it will remove 20 women out of homelessness who can be seen walking around in the west end of the city,” said Marina Boulos-Winton, executive director of Chez Doris.
The Bash Shetty residence is made up of several apartments that house three to five bedrooms for a total of 20.
Each fully furnished room has its own bathroom and access to one of five kitchens, several common areas and balconies.
Women will have around-the-clock support including help with daily life skills and outings to money management support.
Rent is set at $858 per room, but tenants will only pay a maximum of 25 per cent of their annual income.
“Let’s say someone makes $740 a month. They’ll pay 25 per cent of that, and the balance is paid by the government,” Boulos-Winton said.
The residence, which will open its doors on July 2, came to be with the help of a generous private donor, and over $5 million from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
It also received help from the city of Montreal, which says it has allocated $600 million to buy land and buildings over 10 years.
Benoit Dorais, Montreal’s executive committee vice-chair, said the city hopes to help solve the issue of homelessness with more permanent housing solutions like these.
“We are working with the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, and the private sector to make sure we multiply the number of rooming houses like this one,” Dorais said.
Chez Doris is set to open two more housing projects in the near future: 26 studio apartments for women who can live more autonomously will open in September; and another 21 transitional social housing units are slated to open in 2025.
Comments