Quebec's homeless population almost doubled in 4 years, report says

For the past few months, Damien Wands has been living on the second floor of Montreal's Old Brewery Mission. 

He said he can't afford to find a new place to live with the city in the midst of a housing crisis, with sparse availability and skyrocketing rates.

"Makes me feel powerless," he said. "And like I have very little support from my government."

Wands is far from alone. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Quebec almost doubled between 2018 and 2022, according to new government data obtained by Radio-Canada.

In 2018, the first provincewide survey in Quebec's history on homelessness was conducted. It found a total of 5,789 people who were "visibly" homeless.

In 2022, that number jumped to 10,000. Nearly half of those people, 4,690, were living in Montreal. 

The data was compiled in a report commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, which is expected to make it public Thursday afternoon. 

The survey, conducted over two days in October last year, compiled data from 13 regions of Quebec. In most regions, a host of outreach workers and more than 1,000 volunteers were recruited to canvas places like streets, alleys and parks. 

Emergency shelters and transitional housing programs also collected and submitted their own data.  

Officials who conducted the survey stress the total number of people experiencing homelessness is likely far higher, once the so-called "hidden homeless" — those without a permanent address who aren't necessarily living on the street — are taken into account.

Similar to the findings from the 2018 survey, the report found Indigenous people and members of the LGBTQ community are disproportionately represented among Quebec's homeless population.

Here are some of the key findings:

• 67 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Quebec are men.
• 13 per cent of those surveyed identified as Indigenous — five times more than in the general population.
• Around 16 per cent of those surveyed identified as LGBTQ+. 
• Immigrants represent around 11 per cent of the homelessness population. 
• 29 per cent of those surveyed had previously been placed in the care of Quebec's youth protection services or another institutional setting. 
• 15 per cent of people who became homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic say it played a role in their current situation.

This year's report shows that those who were previously placed in the care of Quebec's youth protection services and people who have been evicted from their homes are also overrepresented among those who are unhoused. 

The report also points to the shortage of affordable housing as a reason for the increase in homelessness.

$20M for shelters

In response to Quebec's growing homeless population, Lionel Carmant, Quebec's minister responsible for social services, is expected to announce a $20-million investment for shelters.

A little more than $15 million from that would be new money.

However, housing advocates say that's not enough. 

The Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montreal (RAPSIM), a community group that provides services for the homeless, says Montreal alone needs at least $40 million just to maintain the 1,600 spots in shelters that already exist.

"I hope there will be more announcements," said Annie Savage, director of the RAPSIM, adding that the 1,600 spots in Montreal aren't sufficient.

Radio-Canada recently learned that the number of makeshift campsites dismantled by Montreal officials downtown has doubled since 2021.

The city says it's been calling on the upper levels of government to invest more in social and affordable housing.

More resources needed

Marina Boulos-Winton is the executive director of Chez Doris, which offers services and shelter to women experiencing homelessness in Montreal.

She said the organization made a concentrated effort before the pandemic to open more shelter space, but the number of women needing help is "almost double of what we anticipated."

Among the women Chez Doris is helping are many refugees, she said, who aren't given enough money and resources to get their feet on solid ground. Giving them more financial support, faster work-permit approval and access to daycare would help relieve some of the pressure on organizations like hers, she said.

"We're drowning now just by the sheer number of women who need to eat," she said, and organizations can't solve the crisis on their own without more support. 

Old Brewery Mission president and CEO James Hughes said the Quebec government's added $15 million investment won't go very far when it comes to actually housing people or preventing homelessness by intervening early when people are facing tough times.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the province has refused to give more money for housing for three years. While some money is coming from the federal government, it's a "very small amount," she said.

In Quebec City, where there has been a 36 per cent increase in homelessness between 2018 and 2022, the mayor there says the situation is unacceptable.

"It's sad to have more and more people living on the streets," said Bruno Marchand. "It's sad to have more and more people feeling totally alone." 

Marchand said that $20 million in provincial funding is not enough, "but it's at least a beginning."