MONTREAL - The Old Brewery Mission has unveiled a new facility where 14 homeless Montrealers will have a special place to stay while they undergo the year-long treatment for Hepatitis C.

The initiative, known as Pause Sante, is the first-of-its kind in Canada and is being welcomed by health care authorities who know the challenges faced by those who require the cure for the liver ailment.

The treatment has about a 70 percent success rate.

“It’s very debilitating, like taking chemotherapy,” said Old Brewery Mission Director Matthew Pierce. “You cannot do that on the street. You need a place where you can go through the deeps downs in a safe secure environment.”

The treatment could slow the rate of infection and offer hope to people whose health is often otherwise overlooked.

It could even limit addiction, according to one health authority.

“If they learn that there is hope of being cured, this makes them stop using,” said Dr. Marie-Eve Morin of the Opus Clinic.