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Montrealers Voice Concern at Council Meeting over Handling of Homelessness
Residents attending a recent Montreal council meeting voiced concern over the cities handling of services for the homeless.
Many unhoused people have been staying at the shelter of Royal Versaille. Considering the recent deaths of two homeless people and the need for shelters to stay open – will the shelter remain open? The city said public health will decide, but it is a priority.
Deaths and hospitalizations are still critically on the rise despite amount of vaccinations completed. Vulnerable individuals and unhoused people were disproportionately affected by the fifth wave, especially due to shelters having a lower capacity, which led to the need for more shelters for isolation. There is a need for more shelters in green areas, as well.
The emergency services that have been put in place include: the chrome hotel and soccer stadium which provides a space to isolate for COVID-positive homeless people, hotel des art 24/7 which is a shelter specific to Indigenous homeless clients, the halte chaleur and services transporting unhoused individuals to shelters.
Yet, some of the public attending the meeting voiced concern over the fact it took emergency shelters over 3 weeks to be operational while services were discussed since December 21st and demanded since December 8th, but were only made operational on January 11th.
Some concerns were voiced on lack of beds for unhoused people as Montreal grapples with 4,000 homeless people, a number which has doubled since the beginning of the pandemic The Montreal police force, also known as the SPVM, was brought up. Some research has shown that the unionization of the police leads to more misconduct from its officers, so how will Montreal make sure this doesn't happen? Councillors admitted to have not read studies on it, but have implemented sensitivity training for officers amongst other measures.
To learn more watch the full council above.
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