West Island's Ricochet homeless shelter finds new location

After being forced out of its previous building two months ago, the Ricochet homeless shelter in the West Island will reopen next week at a new location.

The shelter will take over Villa St-Martin, the former site of the Ignatian Spirituality Centre of Montreal — a wide, green space on Gouin Boulevard West, near Highway 13 in Pierrefonds.

The YMCA has welcomed Ukrainian refugees for the last two years, but the service has moved, and the building has been offered to Ricochet.

"It is such a relief for the team, for the beneficiaries. I have beneficiaries texting me that they're so excited to come back with their family, which is Ricochet," said Tania Charron, director general of the Ricochet Centre.

The site is equipped with a kitchen, cafeteria, common rooms and two beds per bedroom. Forty-eight people will have a home there as of July 8.

It's good news for Ricochet, but the official opposition at city hall said there never should have been a two-month gap in services for people experiencing homelessness.

"The Plante administration again demonstrates its incapacity to plan ahead in order for the vulnerable people to have a place, a stable place to have a roof over your head," said Benoit Langevin, city councillor with Ensemble Montreal.

The housing at Villa St-Martin is also temporary, because the site is for sale, and Ricochet is under a one-year lease during the sale -- so one day it could have to move again.

"Longer term? I'm still looking at the possible scenarios. We hear it's a temporary solution. So, my next goal is to secure a permanent location for Ricochet," said Charron.

In the meantime, the team at Ricochet is hiring staff and accepting donations, getting ready to welcome people who need a place to call home.