Montreal shelter turning hundreds of young people away

A Montreal shelter for young adults says it has been turning people away at an alarming rate.

Maison Tangente says it's unable to help eight out of every 10 people who come through its doors because demand is at an all-time high.

"We have to refuse more than.. 500 people per year," said Johanne Cooper, the shelter's executive director.

Maison Tangente, in Montreal's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, caters to 18 to 25-year-olds in need.

"We live [in] a really big social crisis, it's not only a housing crisis," said Cooper.

She insists shelters would be less swamped if governments invested in resources that helped prevent young adults from ending up unhoused.

"They arrive here, they have everything to learn; they have no autonomy, they have no diploma, they have nothing," said Cooper. "We have to invest in prevention and mental health."

She notes the shelter saw a 70 per cent increase in housing requests last year, and numbers are expected to exceed that in 2024.

Cooper says Maison Tangente, which is part of the Regroupement des Auberges du coeur du Québec, provides much more than a simple roof over people's heads, including job search support and workshops on well-being and navigating group interactions.