As temporary homeless shelter at Place Dupuis closes, two new shelters are on the way
Hotel Dieu and Auberge Versailles will be converted to homeless shelters, it was announced Friday, following the news that Hotel Place Dupuis will no longer serve as a temporary homeless shelter as of June 30.
Hotel Dieu, located near the intersection of St-Urbain St. and Pine Ave., will have 100 beds available as of July 1, with the possibility of offering up to 200 beds in the future.
Auberge Versailles, located near the Radisson metro on Sherbrooke St., is also set to have 100 beds available in the coming months, although the exact date is yet to be specified.
Minister for Health and Social Services Lionel Carmant announced the change in a tweet, in which he highlighted the importance of “safe and suitable” accommodations for Montreal’s unhoused community.
“The needs are glaring,” he wrote.
The transition from Hotel Place Dupuis to Hôtel Dieu will be managed by the Welcome Hall Mission, the organization that runs the shelter at Place Dupuis, which was converted to a homelesss shelter in November 2020.
Sam Watts, CEO of the Welcome Hall Mission, says a lot of work is being done in preparation for the move, including some renovations.
“It’s not a matter of simply turning the key in the lock and saying ‘okay, everybody in,’” he said.
Currently, roughly 180 beds are used per night at the Place Dupuis shelter, but only 100 beds will be available at Hotel Dieu upon its opening. Watts says his team is working to find alternative accommodations for those who won’t be able to obtain a spot at the new site. One option is the Macaulay Emergency Shelter, which is also run by the Welcome Hall Mission.
“It may be that somebody is referred to a different resource,” he said. “There may be a resource that is more appropriate for them than that particular spot, you know, the hospital Hotel Dieu.”
Whether accommodations will be available elsewhere is entirely dependent on health conditions, however. Watts warns that a spike in cases of COVID-19 could limit a shelter’s capacity.
“There are public health guidelines with respect to distancing and with respect to how many people we can have in the building at any one point in time,” he said.
“I’m hoping that we’ll have a place for everybody.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.