A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN
Men’s shelter steps up its fight against homelessness with ‘transition’ rooms in which residents can prepare for social reintegration — a process that ‘takes guts and real courage,’ the head of the facility says
It’s a stark room, and small, but it’s a private space for Vincent Lavoie, who would otherwise be homeless — and it should be enough to get him back on his feet. “Sometimes all they need is a temporary roof and a bit of a helping hand,” says France Desjardins, who heads the Maison du Père shelter, where 31 of these transition rooms are opening.
Graphic designer Vincent Lavoie has plans — buying a plot of land, building a house, travelling around the world — but he knows none of that is possible while living on the streets.
On Monday, Lavoie, 35, will be the first person to occupy a private “transition” room at the Maison du Père men’s emergency shelter and residence, on the eastern edge of downtown Montreal.
A long corridor with bright ceiling lights leads to a series of stark rooms, each the size of a walk-in closet, furnished with a metal closet and a bunk bed with a mattress above a desk, and with fresh towels draped on the frame.
But for Lavoie, it’s almost on par with a room at the RitzCarlton. He says he’s glad to have it.
The rooms will be available to residents for several months as they organize their lives, fix health issues and apply for jobs and important documents, including a passport.
However, Lavoie says he won’t be staying long; he has already landed a job with the Quartier des spectacles and has renewed contacts within the graphic arts community.
“I’m not a homeless person,” Lavoie said. “I won’t be here long, maybe a month.”
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, nearly 30,000 people are homeless in Canada on any given night, and at least 200,000 are homeless annually; it costs the economy $7 billion a year.
Most people don’t choose to be homeless, said France Desjardins, head of Maison du Père, a 170-bed shelter that also runs a 78-bed residence for aging homeless men, plus 20 off-site studios that provide residents with autonomy.
“No one should be living outside on the street — it’s a harsh life, and it takes a terrible toll,” Desjardins said. “We’re very concerned, especially as the population is getting older.”
This week, Desjardins will preside over the inauguration of 31 transition rooms in a new wing at the facility, living up to the Maison’s slogan that “every street should have an exit.”
Desjardins said it is crucial to provide help to people before homelessness becomes a way of life. Some simply find themselves in precarious situations because paycheques are delayed and the rent couldn’t be paid on time, or a job fell through or they had to leave their families, she said.
“Sometimes, all they need is a temporary roof and a bit of a helping hand,” she said. Those who need more help are referred to an employment program, the CLSC, a detox centre, social workers or legal experts.
The Maison’s social reintegration program is not free. Participants pay 25 per cent of their income or social assistance funds for access to a place to stay while applying for school, work or social documents, and while potentially dealing with health challenges such as drug addiction.
“Getting out of the rut takes guts and real courage,” Desjardins said. “By comparison, dieting or quitting smoking is a cinch.”
About 66 per cent of the men in the program have a physical health problem and nearly 43 per cent have a mental illness.
According to last year’s inhouse statistics, 60 per cent of participants found employment and 69 per cent found accommodations — moving in with family, or finding roommates, social housing or their own apartments.
The new single rooms double the capacity of the social reintegration program, up from the existing 31 dormitory-style transition beds in rooms of four to six. Residents who have been in the shelter for three months qualify for the program; after another three months in the program, participants who need more time to stabilize their lives will be offered a room in the new wing.
The eight-month, $2.5-million expansion was funded by the federal government’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy, the Caisse Desjardins du Quartier-Latin cooperative financial group and the Maison du Père Foundation.
The federal government had announced it would provide $600 million over five years, starting this month, to renew and refocus the Homelessness Partnering Strategy using the Housing First approach following the success of that program, launched in five cities across the country. (The Housing First philosophy is that to end homelessness, you need to provide the homeless with a roof and health support.)
In its budget tabled in January, the city of Montreal earmarked an additional $1 million for issues associated with homelessness.
Needs are constantly increasing, so any additional funds in the fight against homelessness are welcome, said Sébastien Payeur of PAS de la rue, a community organization that runs programs, including a day centre for homeless seniors and those at risk of itinerancy.
“Our organization has seen an increase (in demand) of 50 per cent since 2005,” Payeur said.
In February, Quebec unveiled an anti-homelessness policy (Lutte contre l’itinérance) based on five priorities — lodging, health, income, education and social housing — and promised to provide a concrete action plan by spring.
What’s needed now, Payeur said, is for the new Quebec government to step up and reveal that action plan.
As for Lavoie, a Quebec native who returned to Montreal after 20 years in the United States, living in the shelter for six months has been tough. He hated the lack of privacy, he says, although he did get to go to school to improve his French-language skills.
“It’s not for me,” he said of the shelter, “but they really helped me a lot” in rewriting his résumé and with job applications.