Welcome Hall Mission hopes to build transitional housing centre for Montreal's homeless
It's mostly an empty space at the moment, as engineers and Welcome Hall Mission board members tour the building, but in the future, the hope is that it will be a functioning transitional housing space where someone can sleep and get a meal.
Welcome Hall Mission CEO Sam Watts stresses, however, that it will not be a shelter.
"We inherited a 100-year-old system whereby the shelter was considered a destination for people and people would come and go from that location," he said.
The new space, he said, will focus on getting people back into permanent housing quickly.
"The issue isn't how quickly can I shelter you? The issue is how quickly can I help you find a permanent place to call home?" said Watts.
The Welcome Hall plans to buy a building on Ontario Street East near Parthenais to set up units for around 50 men and women.
The building will have common areas and dedicated staff to help find permanent housing and other services.
"We have a variety of connected services," said Watts. "Our dental clinic, for example, a mental health services, employment services... Ultimately, this is really aobut helping people get back into permanent housing."
Homelessness in Montreal has been on the rise, and safety in the metro system has become a growing concern.
Watts believes that the solution is in addressing the root causes of homelessness and that the Welcome Halls's rapid housing program is seeing success.
It has housed close to 400 people in the past two years.
"If we scale it up, I think we'll see a decline in visible homelessness, and we'll see an increase in people who are treated with dignity and who are actually productive citizens of our city," he said.
Watts said the provincial government has committed to funding daily operations but purchasing and renovating the space on Ontario Street comes with a $5 million price tag.
"We're going to be looking for lots of help from Montrealers who historically have always stepped up to help us," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
DEVELOPING Israel says Hamas deal is 'far' from meeting its demands as Rafah offensive looms
Israel said the terms of a ceasefire deal Hamas accepted on Monday remained 'far from' meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Concern over speeding in Fredericton neighbourhood grows after 2 teens, young adult killed in crash
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.