The metro as a homeless shelter
La Presse has two pieces Thursday on homelessness: how the metro has to function as a day shelter, security agents evicting dozens of people every night at closing time, and how the Palais de congrès and hospital emergencies are being used as ad hoc shelters more and more. The second piece repeats a tale we hear repeatedly – Quebec is not interested in funding services or premises for the homeless.
Nicholas 10:50 on 2025-02-06 Permalink
Had a guest recently who said he noticed a lot of homeless people in the metro. I mentioned they concentrate there during the winter so it’s more visible, but he’s not wrong. Also got off at Mont-Royal around 3 pm on Sunday and there were half a dozen metro cops who got off too, and went to tell all the homeless people hanging out on the passerelle it was time to go (presumably back to the corner at St Denis).
Uatu 16:26 on 2025-02-06 Permalink
There’s a small group that camp out in the new Vendome entrance that leads to the MUHC. It was never this bad before. Now they plug in space heaters and radios, have sleeping bags, bikes and food containers, even underwear is strewn about. Later in the day most have left and it looks like they actually hose down the floor after, but they’re there when I arrive at 6am the next day.
Joey 16:47 on 2025-02-06 Permalink
I was walking through Bonaventure during afternoon rush hour a few weeks ago – as I observed a trio of cops skillfully defuse a tense situation, I was reminded of the third season of The Wire, when one of the senior police commanders effectively legalizes drug sale and consumption in a certain area (one of the drug dealers mis-names it Hamsterdam). The Metro has always been a haven for lots of folks, but it feels like we’ve crossed an important threshold in the last couple of years. Thanks, Kate, for drawing the appropriate link to the province’s official position (“We DGAF”).
Nicholas 17:33 on 2025-02-06 Permalink
Certainly some of these people have mental issues and would qualify to be housed in the 15-unit building proposed for next to the Welcome Hall Mission, but some nearby residents are worried about losing their protected parking spaces, so I guess the metro it is!