Longueuil to build 84 social housing units, relocate homeless shelter

The project will include 84 social housing units for people at risk of or trying to escape homelessness by 2025.

A homeless encampment in Longueuil, Que., on Montreal's South Shore will soon be getting a new neighbour: a homeless shelter.

The shelter, currently located inside a former church, will be moving to a municipal building, the Jeanne-Dufresnoy Centre, to make way for the construction of 84 social housing units.

The Halte du coin shelter can currently accommodate 35 people, falling far short of meeting demand in the area, according to François Moissan, a member of Résiste à la rue, an organization that helps those experiencing homelessness.

Many people are barred from entering the shelter due to various infractions, he said, leaving them with few other options for shelter in the city.

"There's a waiting list everywhere," he said. "So who are you helping?"

On Monday, Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier announced a plan to build the social housing in response to the rising demand for homelessness services in the area, especially since the pandemic began.

"This is the major answer to homelessness: to build social housing in order to give people a safe place to live," Fournier said in a statement.

The project, which will be built on Coteau-Rouge Road at the corner of Bourassa Street, will include units for people at risk of or trying to escape homelessness, to be completed by 2025.

Construction will begin at the end of July, and in the meantime, the shelter will be preparing to move by mid-July, with the demolition of the Halte du coin's current building scheduled for August.

"To be honest, we find it a bit short," said Pierre Rousseau, general manager of the Halte du coin, of the timeline to prepare for the move.

"But it'll give us the time to work together to maybe find another place."

The new shelter will start with 35 people and then see if it can accommodate more, he said, adding that the goal is to help as many people as possible get out of homelessness.

"It's not only bringing people in, it's helping people to get out," he said.

As for the homeless encampment, which has drawn concern from parents of schoolchildren in the area, Fournier said the city hopes the people living there will move to the new shelter location.

"Hopefully the encampment will move and we will act with the police in order to ensure that the situation is going well in the neighborhood," Fournier said.

However, the city said there are no immediate plans to evict those living in the tents.

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