For some of the city's less fortunate women, Chez Doris is more than just a place to escape the cold – it's part of their daily routine.
Financial problems forced Chez Doris to close its doors on weekends last year, a decision that left their clients having to make changes to that routine.
For women like Sephora, the change was hard to deal with.
Going to the centre, she says, “takes up boring time... that I would spend alone, not knowing what to do at home. And it stops isolation.”
She coped, in part, by going to food banks.
The impact of their weekend closures was easy to spot come Monday, said board president Talar Dikijian.
“After two days of being closed, we could see they had heightened stress and anxiety ... that they'd had a rough two days.”
A donation of $50,000 from the Canadian National Railway allowed the shelter to reopen on Saturdays and Sundays. To celebrate, Chez Doris put on a Valentine’s Day lunch.
To help keep the shelter going, the ministry of health and the city of Montreal have promised more than $150,000 in funding.
“It's good news today to get back on the track like this because it was missing in the homeless field,” said Montreal Executive Committee member Monique Vallee.
The organization that serves hundreds of women says the money will help those dealing with homelessness, poverty and health issues.
And it’s hoping the influx of cash with keep them from having to close their doors again.
