Ricochet, the only homeless shelter in the West Island, has closed

The only homeless shelter in the entire West Island of Montreal is now closed and the Ricochet shelter is looking for a temporary home until its new space opens in January.

So, what happens to the people who depend on the shelter?

Clients and staff have known this day was coming for two months and had hoped the relocation committee made up of city and provincial partners would find a site but they didn't.

The shelter is now closed and 50 more people are on the streets.

"Right now, I'm only counting on my team myself. We're going to find a solution. We only have so much control and we're determined to find a way to find a location fast," said executive director Tania Charron.

The team hasn’t given up hope.

"I've been meeting with hotels. I've been looking around for places. We're thinking outside of the box," she said.

Benoit Langevin of Ensemble Montreal said, "In my perspective, it's the city's responsibility to provide that location."

He adds that empty city-owned buildings should be renovated and put to use.

"The city's responsibility is to take care of their own facilities so they can be used for transitional usage, not only for shelters, for a bunch of non-profits across the island who can no longer house themselves. So, money has to be put in there," Langevin said.

CTV News reached out to city hall and a spokesperson from the mayor's office says: "The city is working closely with the community organization and the health network to identify alternatives in terms of appropriate premises and hopes to find a solution as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, people like Marie-France Dubuc, who benefitted from Ricochet's services, are now looking for a new shelter.

"It would be a catastrophe, too, to lose contact with them after all the progress that they've made here," Charron said.

Ricochet is a place where people get back on her feet, but now Dubuc finds herself even further away from her dream of having a place of her own.