Radisson Centre, which serves Montrealers with mobility issues, facing eviction

Clients who use Radisson Centre's services protested during the lunch hour on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, as the centre is facing eviction from its building. (CTV News)

The Radisson Centre, which serves people with mobility issues, is facing eviction.

It's just the latest in a series of community groups who are being forced out of their offices.

Eveline Nguepi says she learned to live again at the Radisson Centre on René-Lévesque Boulevard after years of being in her wheelchair.

"This is where I learned yoga, gymnastics, karate, and was even brought to do kayaking," Nguepi said.

But the centre has to move after the regional health board, which owns the building, opted not to renew its lease — a catastrophic decision for the clients who protested during their lunch hour.

Finding a new building is proving to be extremely hard, especially for a non-profit.

"But considering the fact that our spaces are adapted, accessible, and that is even harder to find. also, they're affordable since we are a community center," said Benoit Verger-Demers, who is responsible for leisure and youth activities at the Radisson Centre.

The regional board, the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, says it desperately needs to reclaim the space, to house people with mental health problems.

"We need the space to offer services to the population that lives on our territory, especially the population with mental health profiles," said CIUSSS spokesperson Jean-Nicolas Aubé spokesperson.

The CIUSSS also says it gave the centre a three-year notice.

The eviction of the Radisson Centre isn't the only one. Last month, another health board also reclaimed the spaces occupied by the Ricochet — the only homeless shelter in the West Island — leaving users with nowhere to go.

In Park Extension and in Ahuntsic, two more centres that offer services to the underprivileged were also notified they had to vacate their spaces provided by the Montreal school service centre.

"We suspect the government wants its buildings to be more economically efficient, and non-profit groups like us don't fit in that model," said Marie-Andree Painchaud-Mathieu, a long-time community organizer.

The risk, they say, is losing community services will likely increase demand for costly emergency services in the long run.