The City of Montreal and Bell Let’s Talk are staging a common front in the fight to help the homeless.
Bell Let's Talk announced an $80,000 donation Monday to the mental health programs at Chez Doris, Refuge des Jeunes and the Old Brewery Mission.
The city is pitching in too, for a total of $100,000 for mental health programs in Montreal shelters.
The money comes in addition to more than $20 million in funding from Quebec -- $4.6 million per year for the next five years.
“We want to make sure that no one who’s in a vulnerable situation has to fend for themselves if instead we could provide support,” said Matthew Pearce, director of the Old Brewery Mission.
Word of the funding was welcome news at Chez Doris, which welcomes up to 100 drop-ins per day. Due to a budget shortfall, it was forced to close down on weekends this summer.
“Come January, for five years Chez Doris will receive $105,000 of income to reopen on the weekends and stay open on the weekends,” director Marina Boulos told a crowd of cheering women Monday.
Among them is Billie Jo, who said she doesn’t take a safe space for granted. Warm and welcoming, Chez Doris helps her feel safe.
“I was sexually assaulted because I had nowhere to go and I was beaten really bad,” she said.
Homelessness can happen to anyone, and people have to stop treating the homeless as if they're invisible, said Quebec Youth Protection Minister Lucie Charlebois.
“It's not only the money; it's human beings, it's coordination of services. We've got to do prevention so that our young people won't be on the street,” she said.
