Kramberger: West Island homeless assist improves, however new web site wanted

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Though a West Island warming shelter for unhoused individuals has been rebranded and now presents much-needed reintegration assist, there stays an pressing have to discover a new dwelling base.

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When individuals consider the West Island, the picture is commonly of prosperous suburban neighbourhoods of single-family properties. Nonetheless, pockets of poverty exist and there’s year-round demand on native meals banks in addition to reasonably priced housing considerations.

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The Ricochet (Hébergement/Houses) Centre opened on Monday at 5100 Château-Pierrefonds Ave. It replaces the night time useful resource referred to as Halte-Transition, and presents 24/7 providers to unhoused individuals within the West Island space.

Two distinct providers are provided on the Ricochet Centre; a social reintegration program with shelter for as much as 20 individuals, and 12 emergency beds for in a single day stays, famous Tania Charron, government director of Motion Jeunesse de l’Ouest-de-l’île (AJOI).

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The brand new reintegration program presents individuals a secure setting the place they’ll work to enhance their dwelling scenario. Individuals might be supported by a crew made up of psychosocial and residential stability assist staff.

They are going to be given shelter whereas they’re a part of the method to seek out an condo, land a job, acquire a medicare card and “to get again on their toes,” Charron mentioned. “We’ll preserve them till they’re autonomous of their lives,” she added.

“What we had been doing earlier than (with the warming shelter) was a Band-Assist. Individuals had been coming, sleeping (in a single day) after which going again exterior,” she mentioned. “We didn’t have time to work with them on their targets or their life goals. Now now we have that chance.”

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This initiative is funded by the federal authorities’s Reaching Residence program, in addition to monetary assist from Mission Inclusion, the Basis of Better Montreal, West Island Group Shares and Centraide of Better Montreal.

The social reintegration service may very well be on the transfer subsequent 12 months, as with the emergency beds.

Officers behind the Halte-Transition warming shelter, which opened in late 2020, made a public enchantment to discover a new locale after being knowledgeable by a regional well being authority that it could have to vacate the Château-Pierrefonds Ave. facility, initially by the top of this previous March however a reprieve has now been prolonged to March 2023. The power is to be transferred to the West Island CIUSSS for a future rehabilitation centre.

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Two potential spots — one within the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough and one other within the metropolis of Dollard-des-Ormeaux — are into account. Nonetheless, zoning points about transferring the Ricochet Centre right into a industrial space have but to be resolved. Discussions with civic officers are ongoing, Charron mentioned.

“It’s been actually sophisticated to navigate the system and discover a (new) location,” she added.

To place the West Island wants in perspective, simply over 300 unhoused people used the Halte-Transition shelter in Pierrefonds between April 2021 and March 2022. About 80 per cent of customers are males and about half are aged 55 and over.

“It’s essential to state aged poor persons are dwelling in very precarious conditions proper now and this must be addressed,” Charron mentioned.

Although round 1 / 4 of the shelter’s clientele are youthful adults below 35 years outdated, she famous.

The West Island’s homelessness scenario may not be as visibly obvious as it’s in downtown Montreal, however the issue is actual.

Albert Kramberger is editor of the Montreal Gazette’s West Island/Off-Island part.

akramberger@postmedia.com