‘More, bigger and with no restrictions,’ Saint-Jérôme homeless need solutions

Homeless people living in tents in Saint-Jérôme, Que. struggle to find permanent housing in the city north of Montreal, where resources are stretched.

As temperatures drop below -20 Celsius on the streets in Saint-Jérôme, Que., homeless people and those who work with them are looking for solutions and a warm place to sleep at night.

A small group living in tents in an encampment on property owned by Espaces Lokalia were worried that they would be without shelter this weekend.

The city reversed course, however.

“The dismantling of the homeless encampment that was planned for today by the landlord will not take place, following its decision not to proceed,” said city spokesperson Eve Chalifour.

The city of just over 80,000 people at the foot of the Laurentians north of Montreal has a ban on encampments on its territory.

Rachel Lapierre, the founder and president of La Book Humanitaire, said the resources for homeless people cannot meet the demand.

“The thing is growing so fast,” she said.

The city said that teams work with the local health and social services centre (CISSS des Laurentides) to find places for those left in the cold.

“Teams remain in regular contact with individuals in need to ensure they are supported in a humane and safe manner and redirected to the appropriate resources available in our community,” said Chalifour.

Lapierre says that though the services available are well-run and try their best, the demand is just too great.

She estimates that around 150 people do not have a place to sleep.

La Hutte Saint-Jérôme has 66 beds, 60 of which are for long-term emergency and transitional rooming. Six beds are open at 3 p.m. until 8 a.m., and a warming station has spots for 50 people from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Lapierre feels that the solution for those who can’t use La Hutte is not a permanent outdoor encampment, but proper rooms with heating, access to toilets and kitchens.

“They have places in Saint-Jérôme, they can just open the door and let them in and have a warm place,” said Lapierre. “We don’t like encampments because they can be dangerous, and they don’t have toilets, etc. We need another option.”

She said the majority of those on the streets are elderly or those with low-paying jobs, forced out of their homes due to rent prices or other issues.

“Most of them they don’t take drugs, they’re old people,” she said. “People who work minimum wage salary need it [housing], and the old people cannot afford an apartment.”

In addition, she said the city needs an emergency place with a full-time staff that can find resources for those left out in the cold.

Resources for mental health patients, a prison, an immigration centre and courthouse make the city about 60 kilometres north of Montreal a hub for potentially marginalized people.

“These are kids of somebody, grandparents of somebody,” said Lapierre. “We have to sit and say, ‘what are we going to do with all this?’... [We need] more, bigger and with no restrictions.”