Ending homelessness in Montreal – Part 1: Ending chronic and cyclical homelessness

This plan details an initiative of the Mouvement pour mettre fin à l’itinérance à Montréal (MMFIM) to help 2,000 men and women in Montreal exit chronic and cyclical homelessness over the next five years. Provincial and municipal plans have not specifically targeted this very vulnerable population which has frequent recourse to emergency services (ambulances, hospitals, police, municipal courts, shelters, etc.).

The goal of the MMFIM, a broad network of partners from the Montreal community, is to overcome homelessness as we know it today. The MMFIM proposes better coordination of existing resources, relevant data collection and implementing best practices, including access to permanent affordable housing combined with support services.

The MMFIM departs from the traditional palliative approach to homelessness, proposing instead that services be geared to cure and prevention; its proposal is based on the experiences of cities in Europe, Canada and the United States. The Mouvement is interested in proven models that not only help people exit the street but help them lead satisfactory lives.

To achieve this goal we propose to equip and specialize certain community organizations and establish close links between them and the health network. We estimate that at the end of the first five years 1,500 men and women will still be housed, supported and installed in their community by the specialized community network while 500 will have become autonomous and will live with or without support from the regular system.

Publication Date: 
2015
Location: 
Montreal, Quebec, Canada