Quebec urged to reach deal with Ottawa to help fight homelessness
'This is an area where we need to do more, and we need to act faster,' rep for Montreal shelter says
The mayor of Montreal and the city's homeless shelters are calling on the Quebec government to make a deal with Ottawa for more money to help people living in encampments in the city.
The federal government has offered as much as $50 million to help address the homelessness crisis, but the Quebec government has been slow to accept the deal, which would require a matching sum from the province.
Mayor Valérie Plante said Friday the city needs assistance to address the homelessness problem.
"We see it. There's people living in the street," Plante said, after touring new housing at Chez Doris, a Montreal women's shelter.
All told, Plante said $100 million in funding is on hold because of a "constitutional battle" between the provincial and federal government.
"We're really supporting all the groups that are saying we need that money. Winter is coming, so let's make it happen."
The funding delay, first reported early Friday by Radio-Canada, needs to be settled as soon as possible, said Sam Watts, CEO of the Welcome Hall Mission.
"We're obviously in a hurry. We're trying to say, 'Come on, let's make this happen,'" Watts said in an interview.
The federal money, he said, "was intended to be able to help cities address some of the urgent problems that we all see every day, and there is very little reason to delay."
Millions on the line
In September, the federal government said it made available $250 million to the provinces to help "urgently find shelter for those experiencing homelessness or living in encampments."
That money comes with conditions, however.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser's office told Radio-Canada it is waiting on Quebec to provide a matching contribution to the federal investment, and provide plans for how the money will be used.
"We look forward to being able to allocate this funding in Quebec communities to help prevent and reduce out-of-shelter homelessness in Quebec," spokesperson Sofia Ouslis said in a statement.
Marie Barrette, a spokesperson for Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant, said negotiations are "going very well" and the province is hoping to reach a deal soon.
Barrette said the government expects to receive its "fair share."
"As for Quebec's financial participation, discussions are underway considering all the money that the government invests in homelessness," she said.
Other provinces, including Ontario and Saskatchewan, have also been slow to accept the federal funding.
Coming winter adds to urgency
Like elsewhere in Canada, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Montreal has risen dramatically since the pandemic.
Between 2018 and 2022, the latest provincial government data available, the number of homeless people across the province doubled to roughly 10,000. About half of them are based in Montreal.
Shelter workers say that number has only grown, and the true number is likely far higher. An estimated 20 per cent of the city's homeless spend their nights outside.
Marie-Pier Therrien, communications director of Montreal's Old Brewery Mission, said the extra money would help organizations develop new ways to help people in encampments around the city, which have become increasingly common since the pandemic.
"This is an area where we need to do more, and we need to act faster," Therrien said in an interview.
"Most of the emergency services and shelters are full 12 months a year. What's worrying us the most is that the living conditions of people in encampments become way more dangerous and risky as winter comes."
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With files from Kwabena Oduro and Radio-Canada's Thomas Gerbet