Rooming house in Montreal to welcome more than a dozen unhoused people

Montreal -

More than a dozen previously-unhoused people in Montreal will soon have a place to stay after a building, long in disrepair, was converted to a rooming house in the city’s Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood.

Until very recently, the address 3629 Sainte--Catherine east was known as a dangerous place to police – Montreal officers have investigated several murders and suspicious deaths over the years. A fire finally shut the place down in 2018.

That’s when L’Anonyme, a local community group that supports homeless people, took over the building. With the help of a $3.3 million grant from the city, the structure was completely renovated and turned into a rooming house.

“The 16 tenants are people without a permanent address, living in a precarious situations,” said L'Anonyme director Sylvie Boivin. Tenants are expected to be able to move in before the holidays are over.

There are 14 single rooms equipped with a bed, a table, a counter with sink and a fridge. Two more rooms were designed for couples.

Tenants will use a common kitchen. Bathrooms and showers are also shared, along with a free laundromat.

L’Anonyme selected its tenants based on their personal situations, and the only condition to live in the building is a $300 monthly rent. A social worker from l’Anonyme is on staff to ensure everyone is safe and comfortable.

“We can help them get off the street and deal with addiction issues, but only if they want to. If so, it will be done at their own pace,” said Boivin.

The building is just one block away from a former tent city which once occupied a stretch of Notre-Dame St E.

The city said it knows rooming houses alone won’t solve the city’s housing crisis.

“We need a cocktail of measures,” said Benoit Dorais, the city’s executive committee member in charge of housing.