MONTREAL -- Two downtown Montreal hotels have been requisitioned to house homeless people as part of the local state of emergency, declared last week by Mayor Valérie Plante.
One building will offer 111 places to people who have tested positive for COVID-19, but who do not require hospital care, as well as those awaiting results and those who need to isolate.
It will start operations this week, under guidance from the Montreal South Central Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSSS) and the Old Brewery Mission.
The second facility, operated by Projets Autochtones du Québec (PAQ), will offer 50 emergency housing spaces starting in early February for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness.
The hotel is located near the Milton-Parc sector, where the need for culturally appropriate and safe space is of particular importance.
The buildings' addresses were not disclosed in the news release sent Thursday by the office of the mayor and the executive committee.
The state of emergency allows the City of Montreal to intervene in situations, using workers and material resources, without having to issue a call for tenders.
It was first declared on March 27, 2020, and lifted on Aug. 23. Montreal was once again put under a state of emergency on Dec. 21.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 30, 2021.
