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HomeBusinessMontreal should avoid dismantling homeless encampments, report finds

Montreal should avoid dismantling homeless encampments, report finds

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Montreal needs to come up with a plan to avoid dismantling homeless encampments and supervise them when necessary, according to a new city-commissioned report.

The report, prepared by representatives from community organizations and experts from the public health and social services network, is being made public Monday afternoon.

It includes 15 recommendations on how the city can address the problem of homelessness in the city — and more quickly get people into housing.

A more consistent response to encampments is among the key recommendations.

“Various members of the committee consider that the dismantling should stop, and that action should be put in place to house more people this winter and to offer assistance services to those living in tents,” says a summary of the report, obtained by CBC News.

In recent months, advocates have criticized the city for cracking down on encampments, given that many shelters are stretched beyond capacity and people don’t always have another place to turn.

With a cold snap descending on the city this week, shelters are expected to be under further strain. The city has opened up additional warming centres to give people a place to stay. 

James Hughes, head of the Old Brewery Mission, was a member of the committee that prepared the report. He said it should serve as a roadmap for the Plante administration in addressing the crisis.

“We don’t want the situation to get worse,” he said. “We don’t want the city of Montreal to be defined by these issues.”

WATCH | Man describes losing way of survival:

Man who lived in torn-down homeless encampment says he’s ‘living the same pain’ over and over again

2 months ago

Duration 2:18

Quebec’s Transport Ministry issued eviction notices to the people who had been living in tents on part of Notre-Dame Street East in Montreal’s Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough in November. Community groups worry others living on that stretch of provincially owned land are next and advocates are calling for a moratorium on dismantling homeless encampments.

The report says the city should establish a “protocol to support people, evaluate the level of danger of occupying a public space, avoid dismantling and supervise [encampments] when necessary.”

Unlike some other Canadian cities, Montreal doesn’t have a clear policy for how to deal with unsheltered people and campers, the report points out.

The result has been an “uneven” response and inconsistent enforcement across city boroughs.

“Such a protocol should also be developed in collaboration with the Quebec government, a variety of homelessness partners and people experiencing homelessness,” the report said.

Robert Beaudry, the city’s executive committee member responsible for fighting homelessness, said the administration is working to develop a city-wide strategy, as recommended by the report. He said encampments aren’t the solution. 

“Living under a tent is not safe,” he said. “We understand that interventions have an impact as well.”

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