A funding crisis has forced Montreal women’s shelter Chez Doris to shut down on weekends.

For more than 30 years, the downtown shelter kept its doors open seven days a week, offering assistance to women with addiction and mental health issues. But the foundation’s vice-president, Peter Newman, says a constant yearly shortfall of $100,000 means that Chez Doris will close Saturdays and Sundays.

“The revenue for Chez Doris has increased less than one half of one percent per year,” says Newman. “So basically we’re flatlining funding with a continuing base of escalating costs.”

Although the shelter’s board of directors says it receives funding from all levels of government, the $100,000 to operate the shelter on the weekends is too high.

“Our expenses, in some cases, in the last seven years have gone up by 50 per cent or more,” says Newman.

Chez Doris says its shortfall has nothing to do with mismanagement, but rather with the shelter’s attempt to welcome a growing number of clientele. In the past seven years the shelter says it’s been helping women who need more care.

“We’re dealing with women who could have a drug addiction issue, a gambling addiction issue and potentially could also be suffering from a number of mental health issues,” says Newman. “So the cost, the amount of time required to look after the ladies and give them the help they deserve has escalated, but the budget has not.”

Chez Doris says its funding could have been reduced or even completely cut if it didn’t act.

Over the course of a few months, the board of directors examined the organization’s finances made the difficult decision.

During the week, the shelter is open between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. It serves breakfast and lunch and offers a number of social programs.

Those services will remain the same, but on weekends the shelter will shut down completely, not even serving meals. Chez Doris says that means about 60 to 80 women will be on the street with nowhere to go.

The organization says it’s looking for more funding from the government and a three year commitment so that it can hire and train more staff.

Chez Doris served about 40,000 meals to women last year.