Montrealers experiencing homelessness worry about plan to move downtown shelter to Verdun

Vincent Daoust says sleeping outside in Montreal is tough when the weather takes a turn for the worse, so he regularly heads to a shelter in Chinatown.

The former YMCA, located in the Guy-Favreau Complex, has served as a temporary shelter since the pandemic, but now it's closing and the city has announced a plan to open a facility in Verdun, located about six kilometres west.

The new shelter will also be temporary.

Daoust said he knew the shelter was closing on Oct. 31 after neighbours complained about the uptick in violence and drug use, but learning about the move to Verdun was a surprise.

"I think Verdun wouldn't be the right place to move the shelter," he said. "It's way too far."

He said people experiencing homelessness gravitate toward downtown, and not many people will use the Verdun shelter, even if there is a shuttle bus as planned.

Some will go, he said, but it's no use to open a shelter so far away. Eventually, he said, the same problems will arise and it will have to move again. 

Verdun mayor announces plan

Marie-Andrée Mauger, mayor of Montreal's Verdun borough, announced that a social housing project on Gordon Street will temporarily serve as emergency accommodation for people experiencing homelessness.

Though her announcement does not mention the closure of the Chinatown shelter, Mauger explained on Facebook that the former seniors' residence, Les Jardins Gordon, will temporarily provide respite for those in a vulnerable situation.

Montreal's housing corporation, the Société d'habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), had been planning to convert the residence into a housing complex with 70 to 90 affordable units.

The building, located in a quiet neighbourhood, has been unoccupied since 2022. The temporary shelter will be managed by the local health agency, the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

"Given the crisis of vulnerabilities and the increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the metropolis, including in Verdun and the greater southwest, the borough has accepted that this building temporarily serves as emergency accommodations," said Mauger.

"It seemed immoral for us to leave a building vacant this winter, rather than making it temporarily available so that vulnerable people can be safe and warm."

She said the borough is working with the city's administration, police, the health agency and community organizations to "ensure the smooth integration of the resource and to promote harmonious social cohabitation."

A citizens meeting will be held in the coming weeks, before the shelter opens, to provide more information and address any questions.  

Opposition criticizes last-minute planning

The provincial government estimates that at least 10,000 people are currently experiencing homelessness in Quebec.

The closure of the shelter at Guy-Favreau Complex was announced in August.

On Thursday, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante assured the public that her administration would not leave this vulnerable clientele to fend for themselves this winter and that resources would be mobilized, even if temporarily, until a new shelter location is found.

However, the city's Official Opposition has lamented the late announcements.

Benoit Langevin, Ensemble Montréal homelessness critic, said the city should have more to offer than a temporary shelter as it's been known for two months now that the Guy-Favreau Complex shelter is closing.

"As usual, the Plante administration arrives at the last minute," said Langevin.

"We need to stop constantly reacting, especially since vulnerable individuals rely on these resources, to avoid being out in the cold at the gates of winter."

Like Daoust, Juliette Rousselle said she knew the shelter at the old Y was closing, but she had no idea it was moving to Verdun.

"It's not good," she said. "It's too far for us."

She said she has never been to Verdun and has mostly been staying around downtown over the last few months. She said she has experienced violence herself, including a beating just outside the shelter that left her with broken ribs.

"The police don't do anything," she said, but she had to come back because "there's no place to go anywhere."

All shelters are full, she said. What she really wants is her own place, and she's hoping to get one in the coming weeks.