Montreal’s Unhoused Population and COVID-19

Montreal has long struggled with a large unhoused population. Finding the money and staff required to house every individual in the city and provide long-term aid to address underlying causes is difficult and finding support for such an initiative is even more so. In 2021, there were more than 4,000 unhoused Montrealers and more than 45% of the unhoused were reported as Inuit, making this a policy initiative of extensive proportions. In fact, Montreal In Action, a grassroots organization which aims to address inequalities in Montreal has gone as far to say, “the housing crisis is highly racialized rooted in ongoing settler colonialism and systemic racism.” And, like every other occurrence over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue. According to one CBC report, the number of unhoused Montrealers has doubled since the start of the pandemic. Unhoused populations are at particular risk for catching the virus. In an op-ed for CBC, Old Brewery Mission leader James Hughes stated that homeless people were over 20 times more likely than the general population to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Hughes also outlines the ways in which community organizers are unable to do their work safely and effectively in the midst of the pandemic. Social  distancing in missions and shelters means less space at night and the risk of catching COVID-19 makes such crowded spaces dangerous for everyone in the building. Vaccines have been a step in the right direction, but the best vaccine for the homeless community against COVID-19 is not Pfizer or Moderna, but affordable housing of their own.”

The last few months in Montreal have seen record low temperatures, bringing another layer of urgency to this issue. On January 11, CBC reported the death of an unhoused man in Notre-Dame-de-Grace–presumably due to exposure to extreme cold. Mayor Valerie de Plante responded by announcing a 300-person temporary addition to the 1500 shelters currently operating in Montreal. Notably, former Minister of Health Dr. Horacio Arruda responded to the tragedy by asking shelters to forgo COVID-19 protocols on days of extreme temperature. This recommendation was “well received” by community organizers, but raises obvious safety concerns as the Omicron variant continues to spread in Quebec. Despite Plante’s continued attention and support, on January 21, CBC reported the death of Stella Stostik, the second death of an unhoused Montrealer in January.  Ann Gaël-Whiteman, coordinator of the shelter that housed Stostik, is unsure if she attempted to find shelter before her death, but, “if she had, none were available” due to increased safety procedures, health restrictions, and on-going staffing shortages. This tragedy highlights the complaints of many community organizers: despite Plante’s attention to this pressing issue, enough isn’t being done. In fact, only a week after Stostik’s death, Plante turned down the donation of 25 single-capacity temporary shelters from comedian Mike Ward. Plante insisted that Montreal needs long-term resources, not temporary shelters. Taylor Noakes' editorial in Cult Mtl crucified her stance as, “an unfortunate tactic employed by politicians when confronted with a good solution to a problem they didn’t think of: diminish it, as if addressing any part of the problem isn’t worth it because it doesn’t address the entire problem.” During her 2021 campaign for Mayor, Plante promised to double the municipal budget for the unhoused and upgrade shelters and missions to include “round-the-clock services” that provide for more of the city. James Hughes and other community leaders have supported this plan, but many are now feeling abandoned during the crisis. The temporary shelters that Plante’s administration announced in January for COVID-19 positive Montrealers are limited, and even with these two shelters, Canada's National Observer wrote: “beds alone won’t solve the problem, shelters need staff to supervise them.” 

Community leaders and the mayor are still looking to the future. While many criticize Plante’s leadership during the worst days of a pandemic winter, Projet Montreal has announced several promising initiatives for a long-term reform of the shelter system. This includes, as the mayor promised, doubling the City of Montreal’s “investment in homelessness,” as well as the addition of more than 1,000 housing units between 2017 and 2021. Plante promises an additional 300 per year, as well as the creation of an indigenous-led shelter to provide cultural specific aid to unhoused Indigenous Montrealers – policy seems to be trending towards a solution. But even as pandemic conditions improve and winter lightens into spring, Montreal should not forget the failings of its leaders or the frailty of community organizations.

Lea SperberComment