Latest news with #OldBreweryMission
Global News
a day ago
- Politics
- Global News
Montreal mayor wants Quebec government to appoint a homelessness minister
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is asking the Quebec government to appoint a 'top gun' for homelessness ahead of an expected provincial cabinet shuffle. She made the request at a news conference on Tuesday during which she also proposed to spend nearly $22.5 million to tackle homelessness. Plante asked Premier François Legault 'to make a strong gesture, up to the magnitude of the crisis raging throughout Quebec.' Legault has said he will shuffle his cabinet this fall, amid rising dissatisfaction with his government. Plante said it's the right time to have a minister dedicated to managing what she called a humanitarian crisis. Homelessness 'deserves a top gun,' Plante said, borrowing an expression Legault uses for his top staff. Homelessness currently falls under the responsibility of Lionel Carmant, who is the minister responsible for social services. Story continues below advertisement Plante said her request was not a slight towards Carmant, who she described as an 'ally.' However, she said a problem as 'complex and deep-rooted' as homelessness needed more attention. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I would like it to be in their title, in big letters,' she said. 'It would be their mission, their cause, their fight to find lasting solutions.' She said the minister could work with people who are experiencing homelessness, but also with different government departments, including housing and health and social services. The heads of two of Montreal's biggest homeless shelters also stressed the need for more action from higher levels of government. James Hughes, the president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, praised Carmant's dedication and knowledge of the homeless file, but said it would help 'enormously' to have more power, budget and attention dedicated to the issue. Sam Watts, the head of the Welcome Hall Mission, said all levels of government need to show more courage. 'Mr. Carmant has done good things, but the magnitude of the crisis demands a different response,' he said. A fundamental problem, he said, is that politicians are elected for a four-year cycle, when the homeless crisis has been brewing for decades 'and continues to grow.' 'So, what should we do?' he said. 'We should have a plan for 10 years or 20 years, and the political courage to say, 'Hey! We have to plan for more than four years.' Story continues below advertisement Plante's new spending proposals include a number of projects, such as a $700,000 allocation for shuttle services to transport vulnerable people toward resources. She also proposed to grant about $21 million to roughly 40 community organizations over the next three years to address homelessness. Plante said the funds would come from the city, but she's also encouraging other levels of government to step up in the fight against homelessness. The city's executive committee will study the proposals before making decisions. Legault's office said in an email that announcements about the cabinet shuffle would be made 'in due time.' A recent report by Montreal's public consultation office found that visible homelessness grew 33 per cent between 2018 and 2022. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025.
CTV News
08-08-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Homelessness advocacy group urging Montreal to step up initiatives during heat wave
Encampments are growing in Montreal and homeless people are especially vulnerable to summer heat. (Jack Richardson/CTV) Temperatures will peak in the mid-30s in the next days, but humidex values will be closer to 40 °C starting Sunday. The effects will last until Tuesday, and focus is shifting to the city's growing homeless population during the extreme heat. According to James Hughes, the president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, the number of homeless encampments in Montreal is rising along with the amount of people living in them. 'We see it right here in front of our campus. We see it around the buildings of other sister organizations as well,' he explains. 'We have a serious problem on our hands as a city, which will only get bigger, and more difficult if we don't take it on proactively.' Hughes feels the homeless population is vulnerable to any type of extreme weather but the heat is different, especially in high humidity. 'We go inside our homes and we turn on air conditioners if we have them, or fans, if you're homeless, you don't have that,' he says. 'Homeless people living in a camp will sometimes go into their tent to get out of the sun. Very hot inside those tents. And that can be very dangerous.' One man told CTV News he has been living in an encampment for two years, and explained that he's simply used to the heat. Hughes says the best solution is more affordable housing, but since that will not be solved overnight, the city of Montreal needs to do more to support the current encampments. 'Let's make sure that people can live in these encampments, with some dignity,' he explains. 'We can do this. But if we don't do it, starting now, it's just going to get more and more problematic, including in the high heat.'
CTV News
20-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Old Brewery Mission opens mixed housing in Lachine
The Old Brewery Mission opened its first mixed housing facility in Montreal's Lachine borough for people who need help getting back on their feet. Of the 18 units, 13 are studio apartments for singles and there are five larger apartments for couples, all in a renovated corner building. President and CEO James Hughes explains that separate quarters for men and women can reduce accessibility for people in need. 'These are duos that lean on each other, that won't move into housing without each other,' says Hughes. Each unit has a kitchen and bathroom, plus access to shared spaces like laundry rooms and a garden area. Located in Lachine, this is the first time the Old Brewery Mission establishes social housing outside the greater downtown area. Hughes says living on the streets isn't only a downtown issue. 'We need three things to solve homelessness or reduce vulnerability. You need an apartment. You need a rent supplement to make sure that the unit is affordable. And the third aspect is services,' he explains. Services include social support and back to work training. Craig Kowal is looking forward to signing a lease and says having a stable place to live is the next step to making a fresh start. Originally from Pointe St-Charles, Kowal has been working to turn things around. 'It's been a few pretty rough years drug use and not having a permanent place to live, so I've kind of been couch surfing for a while. I completed a therapy in 2023, so I've been clean now for a couple of years. It feels great. But one of the challenges is having a stable place to live,' he says. Lachine Mayor Maja Vodanovic says social housing is a good investment. 'It's cheaper for the government, it's cheaper for society to house everyone than to have people on the street,' she says. This project was financed in part by funds from all three levels of government along with a generous $4.5 million donation from industrial supplies company Tenaquip. The housing project is called Tenaquip Place. 'This is a perfect example of all levels of government coming together to do something, and we just have to keep doing it. And I just hope that the government gives more money because I don't think you can expect private foundations to give so much money every time,' says Vodanovic. Michael Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Tenaquip Foundation, is proud to be part of the initiative. 'Tenaquip Place and housing units like this are the beginning: a step in the right direction to ending homelessness,' he says. Fitzgerald says this partnership with the Old Brewery Mission will help the most vulnerable - including those outside of the downtown core. And for Kowal, it means a fresh start. 'I'm happy to be here. I'm excited for a new phase of my life. more stability, work and a better life,' he says.
Montreal Gazette
15-05-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Old Brewery Mission's newest pavilion gives seniors a home to ‘stay for the rest of their lives'
News By When Stephanie first stepped inside her bright and spacious new apartment, a sense of relief washed over her because she knew she 'didn't have to leave.' A little more than a week ago, the 68-year-old moved to the Old Brewery Mission's new facility for seniors experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Her one-bedroom home is immaculate but warm with sage green floors and ample room for both her and her beloved cat. 'I was very surprised when I saw it,' Stephanie said in an interview in her living room Thursday. 'I didn't expect anything this grand.' Stephanie, who is only being identified by her first name for safety reasons, is among 27 residents over the age of 50 who will permanently live in the modern building. It's located on busy Pie-IX Boulevard in the city's St-Michel neighbourhood, right on the cusp of Montreal North. The three-storey structure, made of beige and grey bricks, sits beside a community garden and blends right in with the neighbouring homes. It boasts 27 apartments, each with a balcony or access to the communal backyard. It cost $12.4 million to build, with financing from various partners, including the City of Montreal. All of it was designed with seniors in mind. Among the amenities is an elevator, large hallways to avoid tight turns for anyone with reduced mobility, and a designated space in the basement for four-wheel scooters. James Hughes, president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, spoke fondly about the project as the organization unveiled the facility is named the Mirella and Lino Saputo Pavilion, in honour of the generous donors whose foundation gave $5 million for on-site support and services. It wouldn't have been possible without them, he said. 'This is an incredibly special day for us because this is what we dream of,' he told the crowd gathered in the backyard, describing the space as a pearl on the necklace of the organization's housing portfolio. The Mission currently owns and manages 165 housing units, with hopes of increasing it to 500 units by 2028. Housing solves homelessness, Hughes said, and the new facility serves a particularly vulnerable group: seniors. Montrealers aged 50 and older made up 44 per cent — the largest portion — of city's homeless population in 2022, according to the Old Brewery Mission. 'This is a place for people to heal,' Hughes said in an interview. 'This is a place for them to have the peace they've been missing for so long.' That is the case for Stephanie. In 2018, violence abruptly forced her out of her home at the age of 61. Stephanie had nowhere to go and, for the first time in her life, she was unhoused. She turned to the Old Brewery Mission for assistance. Since then, Stephanie has had a roof over her head at shelters across the city, but now has a place to call her own. She instantly felt like she 'won something' when she first saw her new apartment, located on the second floor. It was overwhelming. 'It's like a gift,' she said. Stephanie has already added a few personal touches, including a macramé-woven wall hanging and a colourful bowl beside the entrance for her new set of house keys. She is still absorbing all the changes, but she loves the balcony and the windows even if it took her a few days to get used to the traffic outside. She is also basking in the moments so many take for granted, like cooking in her own kitchen and soaking in a bathtub. 'A person in my situation does not expect to end up in a place like this,' Stephanie said. Stephanie's living space is open concept and the apartments come with appliances, too. The affordable housing units cost about 25 per cent of a resident's income in rent, but she likened her home to a condo somebody would 'spend thousands of dollars to buy.' She never thought it would be so spacious. 'This is supposed to be their place, a place that if they so choose they can stay for the rest of their lives,' Hughes said. What Stephanie loves too, is the building and community itself. She already has coffee with a woman down the hall and she likes that the facilities are adaptable as she ages. There are Old Brewery Mission workers who will be on site, and as the building fills up, there will be organized activities in the communal space and kitchen. Clara Seidenberg, coordinator of housing support services with the Mission, said she looks forward to expanding services in the area. Unhoused residents used to be more densely focused in the city's central neighbourhoods, but now they are more spread out. 'It's really happening everywhere, homelessness,' she said. The first resident moved in at the end of March and about 17 have settled in since then, she said. The apartments are spoken for and all 27 will be occupied in the coming weeks. The mood has been good and light, which like Stephanie described, comes as a relief for workers, too. 'We wanted to create comfort and stability for people,' Seidenberg said.
