Faced with the need to respond adequately to the growing needs generated by the crisis of vulnerability, the city of Montreal is launching a major public consultation to be conducted by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) to hear the population's views on the conditions for success leading to the harmonious integration of resources dedicated to people experiencing homelessness or vulnerability in the city's neighborhoods.
With this initiative, the City wishes to initiate a public conversation involving the health and social services network and the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal, at a time when the homelessness crisis continues to grow and community organizations are under increasing pressure. One of the main objectives of this public discussion will be to identify best practices and promising initiatives to support vulnerable people and promote social cohabitation when setting up resources and services. New solutions to meet the urgency of the situation will also emerge from this process.
“We've noticed that more and more residents, parents, families and shopkeepers are concerned about the way resources are planned in their area, and we need to do better in anticipation of growing needs. We've listened to the public, and we want to involve citizens and community organizations in the search for clear tools and guidelines to improve our practices and ensure more harmonious integration of assistance resources across the territory. If we are to respond adequately to the growing needs of vulnerable people, all players must do more to better plan the opening of resources in neighborhoods and take into account the needs of the population. We need to move forward with lucidity, while understanding the real issues related to cohabitation and the feeling of safety, so that everyone can live in dignity and safety in Montreal,” declared Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
“Today, we salute the City of Montreal's initiative to involve the population more closely in the search for solutions to ensure better inclusion of assistance resources for vulnerable people on its territory. Collaboration between all the players involved in the homelessness issue is essential if we are to better respond to the various challenges. We will be closely monitoring the work of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal and the City of Montreal in this area, and will continue to work with them to make Montreal a city that is ever more supportive of its most vulnerable citizens, a city where life is good and where everyone can live in dignity,” noted Karine Boivin Roy, MNA for Anjou-Louis-Riel and government assistant to the Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal Region.
“As a consequence of the housing crisis, visible homelessness is on the rise and evolving in Montreal. It's a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon, including residential precariousness, mental health issues, the overdose crisis and more. It is important to propose responses adapted to these different facets, while making sure to include the voice of the population, including that of marginalized people and those experiencing homelessness, in this consultation effort. Solutions must also be shared by a number of players, both community-based and institutional, if we are to overcome this public health crisis,” said Dr. Mylène Drouin, Regional Director of Public Health for the Montreal region.
The schedule for this public consultation will be published on the Ville de Montréal website in the coming weeks. Once the consultation activities have been completed, a report will be submitted and made public.
Mobilized to deploy best practices
This consultation is in line with two other initiatives launched by the City of Montreal this spring to bring together its partners and put in place the structures needed to curb the worsening homelessness crisis.
To this end, the city has recently perpetuated the multiparty crisis cell that was created in winter 2023 to respond to the social problems experienced in the Village and Place Émilie-Gamelin area. This new “Comité tactique pour les personnes vulnérables dans l'espace public” has been expanded to include the boroughs of Ville-Marie, Sud-Ouest, Plateau-Mont-Royal and Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Led jointly by the city and the health and social services network, the committee brings together community and institutional partners working to deploy solutions to help these vulnerable people find alternatives that will enable them to get off the street.
The city has also set up an “Ad hoc committee on the issues and needs of people who cannot access housing”. The committee's mandate is to bring together the expertise of institutional and community players to help homeless people gain access to services adapted to their reality and to safer, more stable living conditions. The committee's work will be carried out from March to October 2024, and a report on the exchanges and orientations proposed by the various members of the expert group will be submitted in October 2024.
