Quebec is announcing the opening of PRISM North, the sixth transitional housing resource for homeless people struggling with mental health issues. Health Minister Sonia Bélanger was in Montreal for the official inauguration of this resource in the northern part of the city, which will receive $500,000 annually. The money will be used to ensure there’s a psychiatrist, a nurse, a social worker, a psychosocial worker from the Old Brewery Mission, and a clinical coordinator on site. “PRISM is not only a housing program, but above all a therapeutic, structured, integrated, and transitional environment,” explained the minister. “Across Quebec, our medical and psychosocial teams want to move toward more field-based models, where people are, and we are on the right track for homelessness.” Reintegrating isolated clients PRISM North, an acronym meaning Project for Reaffiliation in Homelessness and Mental Health, will welcome 12 people, bringing the number of places available in a resource like this to approximately 70. This is a transitional housing facility for an extremely vulnerable clientele who have abandoned the health-care system and are often reluctant to reintegrate into it. “These accommodations offer a friendly living environment where residents will receive psychosocial and psychiatric support, among other things,” explained Adélaide De Melo, president and CEO of the Montreal North CIUSSS. “Here, they will be supported by professionals, and together, residents and professionals will identify sustainable solutions for a more peaceful, secure, and healthy life.” Alliance between community and health The work is happening in collaboration with the Old Brewery Mission, a community organization that works with homeless people. Its president and CEO, James Hughes, sees it as an extremely promising innovative approach. “I like to think of it as a merger of community forces with health-care forces because, on our own, we cannot meet the challenges of people with major complexities who are experiencing homelessness and major health problems at the same time. It’s a very significant comorbidity that is very difficult to manage. But here in Quebec, we’ve found a way to deal with it, and it’s called PRISM,” he said. Stays vary in length and can last up to six months, sometimes longer, after which beneficiaries are referred to permanent supervised housing. According to Émilie Fortier, vice president of services at the Old Brewery Mission, these stays have a high success rate. “We identify people who, with care, could be stabilized since there is no reason, other than access to care, for which the person is homeless. So, by accepting them, bringing them closer, creating a bond with them, they agree to be housed, and we stabilize them. We’re talking about three to six months, it’s as simple as that. It really takes three to six months maximum to stabilize that person and get them off the path to homelessness.” Growing needs More resources are clearly needed on the ground since, as Bélanger pointed out, visible homelessness jumped by 44 per cent between 2018 and 2022. “We are waiting for the data from the latest census, and we can assume that the numbers will unfortunately have increased again. Behind these numbers are men and women whose lives have often been marked by suffering, isolation, and significant hardship. These people need support, care, and stability,” she said. Until the new PRISM programs promised by the minister are implemented, the model already in place “is achieving remarkable results (...) and has a concrete and real impact on people who are regaining stability in their lives and aspiring to a better future,” said De Melo. “Today, we are inaugurating not only a new program, but also a door that opens to hope, to a more humane and inclusive future.” - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 27, 2026.
