residents in rosemont have launched a petition to force the city of montreal to hold a public consultation on its plan to open an emergency homeless shelter in their neighbourhood.
lévesque and his neighbours learned through a newspaper article in january that the city had put down a $2.5-million offer to buy ste-bibiane church on dandurand st., between 12th ave. and st-michel blvd., to open a 24-hour shelter accommodating 50 people. the city, which expects to open the shelter in early 2025 , now says it would accommodate 30 people.
the neighbours also fear the kind of cohabitation problems that st-henri has experienced since the maison benoît labre , a resource for unhoused people that includes transitional housing and a supervised drug inhalation site, opened there in the spring, lévesque said.
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mayor valérie plante recently announced the office de consultation publique de montréal (ocpm) will conduct a public consultation on how to ensure cohabitation in neighbourhoods where the city sets up services for unhoused people. however, her administration said the discussion excludes the homeless shelter planned in rosemont and another planned in ahuntsic because they’re already in the works.
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meanwhile, the city’s plan to buy the church precipitated the eviction of maison d’hérelle , a community organization that was setting up a six- to nine-bed hospice in the presbytery for new immigrants who have hiv or aids and are at risk of homelessness. the hospice never opened.
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