A new rehousing project for people who previously experienced homelessness was opened in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough Friday.
The project called the Monk Pavilion was developed by Old Brewery Mission, through a partnership with the thrift store chain Renaissance and public funding.
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“With the Monk Pavilion, we’re offering an environment that guides residents toward an essential sense of normalcy,” said Old Brewery Mission CEO James Hughes. “It’s a centrepiece of the continuum of services for people who aspire to greater stability.”
The mixed-gender facility includes 18 studio apartments, each with its own kitchen and bathroom as well as shared amenities in the building like laundry.
A Renaissance store will be located on the ground floor of the building.
The project received over $5.1 million from the federal government and $3.15 million from the Quebec government under the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and over a $1.26 million from the City of Montreal.
“The Monk Pavilion will offer some of Montreal’s most vulnerable people safe and affordable places to live,” said Caroline Desrochers, parliamentary secretary to the federal minister of housing and infrastructure.
The project is the first permanent rehousing facility developed Old Brewery Mission in the borough. The organization has 10 similar facilities for over 500 residents throughout the city.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said the project would offer residents transitioning out of homelessness the stability and the support toward a better quality of life.
“By settling in the heart of the Sud-Ouest near the Monk metro, and in partnership with Renaissance, this project also contributes to the neighbourhood’s vitality,” she added.
Residents will be selected by Old Brewery Mission and receive support on an ongoing basis.
“We must continue to act on several fronts, particularly by developing more supervised housing,” said Lionel Carmant, Quebec minister responsible for social services and the fight against homelessness.
