Montreal calls for relocation of some day services at controversial homeless shelter

Montreal officials are asking the Quebec government to relocate some day services offered at a homeless shelter in the Saint-Henri neighbourhood, located less than 100 metres from an elementary school, before the start of the school year. 

But the supervised drug-inhalation facility offered at Maison Benoît Labre, only steps from Victor-Rousselot elementary school, is not part of that request, the city clarified Tuesday. 

The centre drew criticism from residents before it opened in April and in the months following, with some parents saying they were blindsided by the decision to have the supervised drug-use site in a building so close to their children's school, which counts 300 students from preschool through Grade 6.

At a city council meeting Monday, Anthony Capanelli, a resident of the Sud-Ouest borough who lives near the shelter, said people in the area are worried about back to school. He asked borough mayor Benoit Dorais to explain what measures are being taken to address the problems. 

Dorais, who is also the city's executive committee member responsible for housing, acknowledged there are difficulties between residents and users of the day centre, despite the implementation of various measures to try to improve cleanliness and cohabitation. 

"Unfortunately, there's a lot of incivility, and cohabitation is much more difficult," Dorais said. 

He said he's asked Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant about moving the day centre's activities "to a more suitable location" before students return to school, adding the borough is willing to help find a new location for the services.

"It's really what is associated with the day centre that creates the most difficulty with the residents, that creates insecurity," he said. 

In an interview with CBC Tuesday, Dorais clarified that the day shelter will have to move, but the housing and supervised drug-inhalation facility, which sees between six to eight people per day, will stay. 

Dorais said users of the day shelter stay in the neighbourhood and consume drugs on the street, which is what is making residents fearful. 

Last month, Montreal announced plans to launch a public consultation process in hopes of finding ways to live "harmoniously" with the city's unhoused population. The city is aiming to promote social cohabitation while providing resources and services to the homeless population, especially in neighbourhoods that aren't used to that reality. 

In a statement to CBC, a spokesperson for Carmant's office said the government is in favour of relocating the centre's day services, noting that despite "all the efforts made," cohabitation issues remain.  The government said it will work with all the players involved to help with the relocation, "however, we expect the city to propose several alternative sites to avoid a concentration of services."

Currently, Maison Benoît Labre provides housing with 36 studio apartments, two supervised consumption cubicles, a kitchen and drop-in centre space for the organization to provide a range of social services to those in need.