'Our situation is dire,' says Montreal day shelter on lack of funding

The services of a downtown Montreal shelter could be jeopardized if it doesn't get the money it's seeking from the provincial government.

Resilience Montreal is a day shelter that works primarily with people from Indigenous communities who gather in and around Cabot Square. It serves up to 1,000 meals per day to unhoused people.

As the shelter prepares to expand its services with a move to Atwater Avenue at the end of the year, it says it's grappling with a lack of funding. The organization is gunning for $350,000 from the Quebec government to cover its operational shortfall. 

On Monday, David Chapman, the shelter's executive director, and Nakuset, the founder and director of development and philanthropy, sent a letter to Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant to sound the alarm on the issue.

"With only three weeks of funding left, our situation is dire and the future of Resilience Montreal is uncertain," the letter read.

"This is a matter that requires immediate attention and action."

Chapman and Nakuset said they met with the minister in October to ask for additional funding and give him a tour of their future site, located about 10 minutes from their Ste-Catherine Street West location. 

"We were surprised in January to learn that no funding would be allocated to address this shortfall and that our expansion proposal, designed with the neighbourhood's well-being in mind, was not being supported," they wrote.

In November, they said they sent the minister their budget, which outlined their plans to "ensure harmony" with the surrounding neighbourhood and for their service expansion.

In the letter, Chapman and Nakuset explained that their plan included mediators, security, a mental health co-ordinator and gradual extension of opening hours to cover service gaps.

They were also "assured" Carmant was aware of their shortfall for this fiscal year. 

Now, they believe there's been a "lack of prioritization" to ensure a smooth transition of the organization to Atwater Avenue in December 2025. 

CIUSSS to offer support

In an interview with Daybreak's Sean Henry, Nakuset said the demand at the shelter is increasing and money runs out very quickly.

"I think it's hard when you, you know, put sort of your eggs in one basket, not that that was the total basket," she said.

Nakuset said that when she and Chapman met with Carmant and his team, they shared their needs and were told that the government should be able to respond favourably to their demands. 

She added that Resilience Montreal submitted its proposal by the deadline.

In a statement sent to CBC on Tuesday afternoon, Carmant said the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal will contact the organization to offer its support.

"We understand the challenges the organization is currently facing," the minister said in his statement, adding the shelter has already received financial support available through provincial funding programs. 

"We have invited the organization to submit its project under the federal funds' call for projects, which could represent a complementary source of funding."

Nakuset said it would be "nice" not to have to constantly scramble for solutions. 

"I don't see us closing, you know, because the need is so great," she said.

"We'll get it done ... we always find a way."