Residents, businesses and community organizations in 11 Montreal boroughs can now call 211 to have a team respond in person to help resolve non-urgent, non-violent conflicts related to the use of public space.
“City of Montreal wanted to make sure that we had a first line service when we talk about social cohabitation, but not just a first line for the kick of having one, but a social response, because they didn’t have any,” said Margaux Bennardi, a planning advisor at the city.
“The population of 11 boroughs could call directly 211 to have ÉMMIS services.”
The 211 line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s been a help line for social services in Montreal since 2018. Since February of this year, 211 connects callers with the mobile social mediation and intervention team referred to as ÉMMIS.
“When someone is calling, the advisors will really take the time to understand the need of the person and then to be able to decide if it needs to be transferred for emergency, if there is any violence or danger involved,” said Michelle Ste-Marie, the ÉMMIS project manager for 211.
“Another possibility can be to give some referrals to the person and also we can send the ÉMMIS team.”
“It’s a team, then when it’s needed, we’ll go on call, so with 211, to address the situation and to make sure to intervene with both parties,” added Bennardi.
Citizens are encouraged to call 211 when they find themselves in a non-urgent situation that relates to social cohabitation issues in public spaces that typically involve social vulnerabilities such as homelessness, marginalization, mental-health issues and addiction.
“Let’s say you’re in a library and someone is using the service, not in a typical way, so using the toilets to shower or doing other type of behaviors that makes you feel uncomfortable and you don’t know how to engage that dialogue,” Bennardi explained. “You don’t know how they will react also because you want to make sure you have the good way to do it. So this is why we have community workers that are trained to be able to do so, so to engage the dialogue.”
Currently the call centre receives about 350 to 400 calls a month related to the ÉMMIS service.
The 211 service is currently available in 11 boroughs: Ville-Marie, Plateau-Mont-Royal, the Sud-Ouest, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles, Saint-Léonard, Montréal-Nord and Verdun.
It’s expected to expand to include all 19 Montreal boroughs by December of this year.
“The team is growing and we will continue to respond to all the calls we receive and we will adapt in function of the reality,” Ste-Marie said.
