Montreal opens new transitional housing unit for women fleeing violence

The $48-million project is part of a broader effort to expand housing options for women and children facing crisis in Montreal.

A new transitional housing unit has opened in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough as part of a $48-million investment in women’s shelters.

Alexia Yelin, a psychosocial intervention worker at the Montreal women’s shelter Le Chaînon, says the new annex building will help victims of conjugal violence find a sense of home and give women and children a space of their own.

“One of the most difficult things when you move is isolation. Some people have been in the streets for many years. It’s very hard when you’re going from shelter to shelter in survival mode,” Yelin explained.

According to Quebec shelters, women and children are often turned away or forced to leave early because of overcapacity.

Officials say they hope the new transitional housing unit will help relieve pressure on the system and support those in need as they work toward a long-term plan.

“Trying to find a place, trying to settle administrative issues, debt, stuff like that, it’s so hard to do it when you don’t even know where you’re going to sleep the next night,” Yelin added.

The four-storey building includes 27 units, a mix of one- and two-bedroom spaces, many equipped with kitchens and en-suite bathrooms.

Some areas will be reserved for single women while others will house mothers and their children.

“The issue of women fleeing violence is real, and they need a space that is dedicated to them, dedicated to the security, looking for the dignity that they’re looking for, to the social net that they need to have to rebuild themselves […] and also to protect their kids,” Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said.

The project is one of four to be financed by all three levels of government.

“These projects, taken together, are going to make a real difference on the ground, because every woman has the right to feel safe and secure,” said Outremont MP Rachel Bendayan.

The goal is to open a total of 67 social housing units for women by June 2026.