Longueuil unveils plan to fight homelessness as encampments increase
With shelters full and encampments cropping up, the City of Longueuil followed Montreal's lead and unveiled its first action plan to fight homelessness.
Homeless encampments across the suburban communities are relatively new to Longueuil's landscape but have become more common recently.
"We always had homelessness, but mostly around the metro. But now it's all around the city," said Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier.
There are at least 15 people living in tents throughout the city, and as many as 1,000 people are homeless.
Fournier says the problem grew during the pandemic, but that wasn't the only factor.
"The housing crisis, the opioid crisis, and the mental health crisis, so it's the perfect storm," she said.
Dolly Shinhat, director general of Our Harbour, runs a housing program for people with mental illness. She, too, says she has noticed the increase.
"All the resources are overwhelmed," said Shinhat. "There's these new encampments because there aren't places for people to go."
Fournier admits that resources are scarce, and with around just 100 beds available, shelters in Longueuil are full.
L'Halte du Coin is a shelter that operates out of a church and has 35 beds. General manager Pierre Rousseau and his team are trying to find and fund a new location. He wishes the city, provincial and federal governments were better coordinated.
"Do they manage this together, or do they agree with their responsibility to each other?" asked Rousseau. "Meantime, I'm just waiting with no money."
L'Halte du Coin shelter in Longueuil wants to expand and add more beds, but struggles to find funds. (Angela McKenzie/CTV News)
Longueuil has earmarked more than $800,000 to fight homelessness. The money is mostly for pilot projects, adding more public toilets, training library employees and planning for a future safe drug use site.
The mayor said Longueuil is doing what it can, but other governments need to chip in.
"I think Quebec and the Canadian government can do better," she said.
Unlike Montreal, Fournier said Longueuil has no plans to dismantle encampments given the lack of shelter space and resources available.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING World No. 1 golfer charged with police officer assault before PGA Championship second round
World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with the assault of a police officer in what he called a 'chaotic situation' before being released in time to start his second round at the PGA Championship on Friday.
NEW What a wildfire survivor says she regrets not grabbing before leaving home
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
LIVE @ 11:30 MT Four 1970s homicides linked to serial killer, Alberta Mounties to reveal Friday
A dead serial sexual offender and killer has been linked to four homicides in the 1970s in Alberta, RCMP say.
Newly mapped lost branch of the Nile could help solve long-standing pyramid mystery
Egypt’s Great Pyramid and other ancient monuments at Giza exist on an isolated strip of land at the edge of the Sahara Desert.
Ontario sees first measles death in more than a decade after young child dies
A young child has died of measles in Ontario, marking the first death in the province from the highly contagious virus in more than 10 years, a Public Health Ontario report confirms.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
'Another pair of eyes watching over me:' How a B.C. woman's guide dog saved her from drowning
A B.C. woman says her guide dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
Vatican revamps norms to evaluate visions of Mary as it adapts to internet age and combats hoaxers
The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena, insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion.