St. Michael’s Mission to close overnight shelter next week

St. Michael’s Mission in Montreal will end its overnight shelter services by March 31 due to a lack of staff and resources.

The shelter offers 12 beds and additional chairs and can house 60 people overnight.

“We just don’t have the manpower to cope with these open longer than the winter period,” said Andrew Marrocco, a community liaison officer at St. Michael’s Mission.

“This is my first winter here,” said Shaquil, a 30-year-old man who uses the shelter’s services. “I was really scared but they helped me through a lot.”

With the shelter closing in about a week, this means Shaquil could be sleeping outside.

“Parks, benches. [Anywhere I’m able] to sleep,” he said.

Montreal’s emergency shelters are already facing overwhelming demand, with many full to capacity.

“We had to turn away over 50 people on several different occasions and one night we had to turn away 93 people,” said Marrocco.

As a result, some individuals have resorted to sleeping in Montreal’s metro stations. However, a recent city crackdown on loitering has made even these spaces less accessible for those in need.

This ongoing crisis has left many advocating for more permanent solutions.

“Somebody who’s experiencing homelessness doesn’t really need a tent or a shelter or a sleeping bag. They need a permanent place to call home,” said Sam Watts, CEO of Welcome Hall Mission.

Advocates are calling on all levels of government to take urgent action.

“We’re going to see more people in public spaces. We’re going to see more mental health issues. We’re going to see more drug consumption. We’re going to see more conflict. We’re going to see more violence,” said Marrocco.

Quebec will present its budget on Tuesday. Watts says he’s hoping officials address the homelessness crisis.

“What needs to happen is our governments need to invest in solutions rather than patches,” said Watts.