With winter coming, Montreal homeless shelters need more beds open 24/7
Montreal's homeless shelters are facing a critical bed shortage.
Staff and management at the shelters say they need about 600 more beds and they want them to be available 24/7.
The pressure is mounting with winter just a few months away, and Montreal's homeless population is growing.
"We need more capacity as we come closer to winter," said Old Brewery Mission president James Hughes. "But, we don't just need extra beds, we also need a change in thinking about what we're doing with that extra capacity."
In June, seven Montreal-area shelters released a five-year plan to reduce homelessness in the city that called for the additional beds that would always be available.
"In the past, it's only been 12 or 16 hours that's been covered in terms of funding," said Hughes. "We've got to put that model to bed and not ever recreate it. Let's go forward with a model that's much better."
Welcome Hall Mission executive director Sam Watts said the 24-hour model allows shelters to provide the kinds of services that help people leave homelessness.
"During the day is the best time really to meet with intervention workers, to meet with social workers, to meet with housing experts," said Watts. "You can't do that at night."
Watts said it's a proven model, and, in the summer, the Old Brewery Mission and Welcome Hall opened at 24-hour shelter with 150 beds at the Hotel Dieu Hospital.
"We've managed to help 76 people get back into housing since the onset of that particular project, and that's in the context of a Montreal with a bit of a housing shortage," said Watts.
Hughes said Montreal's lack of affordable housing is a major factor contributing to a rise in homelessness.
"There is just less and less and less housing available for extremely poor people," said Hughes. "There's basically a zero vacancy rate for the kind of housing that our clientele needs."
Hughes added that when governments invest in lifting people out of homelessness, they save on emergency services bills.
"It's a great financial investment, but more importantly, it's a great moral investment," he said. "Having homelessness of any kind in our city is really tough to see and I think we all agree that it's something that we need to have a lot less of."
The Quebec Health Ministry said it will announce a plan to address homelessness in the coming weeks which will include a significant increase in the number of beds.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.