Gatineau mayor to raise alarm at Quebec City homelessness summit
France Bélisle to join other municipal leaders for summit
The mayor of Gatineau, Que., hopes a bus trip to Quebec City is the next stop on the road to tackling homelessness in her city and across the province.
France Bélisle will be joined by other community advocates and city staff as they converge on Quebec City Friday to meet with other municipal leaders and learn about the reality of homelessness in different regions.
"When we're going to come back, we'll know each other better," Bélisle said, adding she hopes that will make it easier to best assist people living on the street.
The trip is the latest in an attempt to shine the spotlight on a growing problem in Gatineau.
According to statistics from Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services, there were roughly 700 people experiencing homelessness in Gatineau in 2022, nearly five times higher than in 2018.
About one week ago, Bélisle spoke about an overflowing local shelter and a camp housing 80 people, as well as a young woman who recently gave birth alone outside.
"We're struggling, we're facing something completely different here in Gatineau because we are so close [to] Ottawa," said Bélisle.
A one-size-fits-all approach to tackling homelessness won't work, she added.
"The Quebec government needs to recognize that we're facing something very particular here so what we're asking is also for particular solutions," she added.
Fewer resources than Ottawa, says director
The Quebec City trip comes one day after the provincial government announced a $20-million investment for shelters across the province.
A little more than $15 million from that is new money, but some housing advocates say that's not enough.
Yves Séguin, the general director of the Drug Addiction Intervention and Prevention Centre of the Outaouais (CIPTO), said the city's proximity to Ottawa can put more pressure on services trying to help those experiencing homelessness in the Outaouais.
"There's so many people in Ottawa, homeless on the street, they're thinking, 'Maybe if I go across the river, it will be better,'" he said.
"But at the same time, we don't have more resources than Ottawa. We have less."
Séguin, who is also attending the summit, said he hopes it will put pressure on the government to develop more long-term solutions.
"Not everybody can go from the street to an apartment without having a transition or at least having a lot, a lot of help in their apartment," he said.
Tim Aubry, the co-chair of the Canadian Housing First Network and a professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa, said he isn't aware of a large number of people experiencing homelessness migrating between Ottawa and Gatineau.
Still, Aubry said he understands that Gatineau needs help.
"It makes perfect sense, you know, because the cities have all the responsibility in trying to solve this problem — and they don't have the resources," he said.
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