New warming centres offer relief to unhoused Montrealers during bitter cold

The holidays were cold for Louis Leveille. 

Without a place to call home, he felt lucky to find space at the temporary warming shelter at the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal — and he didn't mind sleeping on a chair.

“It’s better than nothing,” he said. 

In partnership with community organizations, the City of Montreal has put in place additional warming centres dedicated to unhoused people to ease the pressure on homeless shelters as temperatures plummet well below freezing.

One of those new facilities is in the Rosemont–La Petite‑Patrie borough.

Molière Thémistocle is a psycho-social worker and co-founder of Centre des femmes de convictions de Montréal — an organization dedicated to helping women experiencing homelessness. The organization has been managing a temporary shelter in the Sainte-Bibiane Catholic Church.

“We're not really popular yet. Many women don't know we exist,” he said.

There are about 20 chairs available in the warming centre and less than half were taken over the holidays, but he expects there to be more demand in the coming weeks as word spreads about the service. 

Last month, the City of Montreal added 530 spaces in warming centres around the city. They are popular, according to the city, which says the occupancy rate has been between 85 and 100 per cent. 

Claude Pinard, chair of Montreal’s executive committee, said the occupancy rate is high, but it’s good people are taking advantage because that means the shelters “were useful and they were needed.”

Émilie Fortier, Old Brewery Mission vice-president of services, said the warming shelters are decreasing pressure on the mission, but the lack of beds is concerning. When it’s cold like this, people need a warm place to stay, she said, and permanent solutions, like housing, are needed.Earlier in the season, Montreal put out a call for help finding locations to open warming centres across the city and Pinard said there were plenty of offers from citizens, developers and community organizations.

However, he added, the concern is ensuring those community organizations have the capacity to provide the needed staff and support to keep these warming stations running smoothly. Pinard said these temporary measures are not ideal and the city is already looking ahead to next year to be better prepared for cold snaps.

Beyond that, “we need housing,” he said, and that remains the ultimate goal. 

According to Montreal’s website, the heated spaces are accessible daily during the cold season, in the evening and all night, and will remain open until March 31. Shuttles are available. Visitors can get snacks, hot drinks and referrals to other resources.