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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.