La Halte du Coin

Shelter for all

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned life upside down for many people who were already at risk. Individuals who were totally unprepared for the crisis suddenly found themselves without jobs and without a place to live.  Aiming to support people experiencing homelessness, and help them reduce the impact of the pandemic on their health and their dignity, three organizations on Montreal’s South Shore, well-known in the field and with complementary strengths, have joined forces. Le Repas du Passant, Macadam Sud et l’Hébergement la Casa Bernard-Hubert have launched Halte du Coin. This shelter, which opened August 3, is one of a kind, taking in those in need 24/7, with a high level of acceptance. The shelter, which took up residence in a Longueuil church, has a capacity that ranges from 15 to 25 beds per day. On a daily basis, it gives priority to women and children, though in general it accepts anyone, without limitations.  It offers users three meals a day, respite beds, showers and a laundry facility as well as accompaniment. The shelter has been full up since it opened, which demonstrates both the importance of this initiative and the level of need in the community.

 

At the shelter, 15 or so intervenors are at work, listening to individuals and guiding them towards the resources best suited to their situation. There are social workers and psychologists, but also community-based monitors. As well, the shelter has entered into a partnership with the Greater Longueuil police force, seeking to raise awareness among future police officers of the resources in the field, but also to ensure the safety of the shelter’s users and the intervenors.

 

This project was made possible by the Emergency Community Support Fund, through which FGM granted $75,000. Still, funding remains a major problem as Halte du Coin seeks to keep the project going. The shelter depends on its funders, and, even if the three organizations are sharing human resources, they did have to hire 15 new employees to make sure the new service runs properly. If you add to that costs like rent, the purchase of beds and bed linen, lockers, locks, space heaters, refrigerators …. The three founding organizations cannot handle all these expenses by themselves.

“What I find most fulfilling about working at Halte du Coin is figuring out how I can help someone who may be without resources, and may lack the ability to find what he needs, or even the ability to express what he needs. “

Jean-François, psychosocial intervenor