Volume 13, 2015/2016

Info Mission
Volume 13, 2015/2016
Team approach to housing the homeless
Homelessness has been the focus of considerable attention in Montreal
in 2015. In March, 600 volunteers were mobilized to count those living
on the streets on one particular night. When the final results were
announced in July, the total came to 3,016.
Using this benchmark, a consortium of
the city’s four major supports for the
homeless – Welcome Hall Mission, Old
Brewery Mission, Maison du Père and
Accueil Bonneau – is launching Projet
Logement Montréal to address the housing
issues of the chronic homeless who take
refuge in their facilities.
The budget is funded over four years by
the federal government and is administered
provincially. Interestingly, housing the
homeless comes with a much lower price
tag than leaving them on the street.
Tim Richter, head of the Canadian Alliance
to End Homelessness, puts the cost of
eliminating homelessness across Canada at
Youth Services
Battling the barriers
facing Montreal youth
When the Director of Youth Services describes
the struggle faced by homeless youth to get off
the streets, he likens it to the story of David and
Goliath. When called upon to slay the giant, the
young shepherd selected five stones as weapons.
Conversely, street youth face five giants in their
fight for stability and autonomy: hunger, itinerancy,
poverty, addictions and a brand of ageism that
discriminates against their youth.
Continued on page 2.
$1.7 billion – about $46 per Canadian –
in contrast to the whopping 4.5 to 6 billion
dollars it costs to maintain the status quo.
Direct and indirect costs, including shelters,
services, policing, criminal justice and
increased use of health services, combine
for a hefty hit on taxpayers’ pockets.
Continued on page 3.
A word
from the CEO
Dear friends of Welcome Hall Mission,
Although I have given thousands of tours to visitors over the years,
it remains a privilege for which I am grateful. Most often, our
guests have a very narrow idea about the services we provide.
They know us as a homeless shelter, or they have heard we have a
food bank. But after a half-hour of touring the first floor of our
multiservice center and hearing the behind-the-scene stories of
what we do and how we do it, people are always amazed. Now in
our 124th year of service to Montrealers, I visualize our offer as a
huge front door, open wide to welcome individuals in need. Our
youngest clients are the as-yet unborn babies, carried by young
mothers from our Cœur à sœur program… and we are there for
Montrealers in need for as long as they need us.
As you will realize while reading this edition of Info Mission, our
ability to help is founded on innovation and collaboration. Our
power is in partnership. Throughout this newsletter, you will read
examples of impact made possible by our synergistic approach.
Marguerite Blais, retiring Member of the National Assembly for
Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne and long-time friend of the mission, was
our guest again this year at our back-to-school event. As she
reflected on our work, she commented that Welcome Hall Mission
should not be considered a community that focuses on poverty, but
on riches! It is a place of generosity and enthusiasm, of optimism
and perseverance. I revel in the diversity of people who make up
our community and the richness of their implication, whether
they are currently participating in a program or helping to make
it happen.
Thank you for sharing in this richness with us. Our work would not
be possible without the valuable contributions of our supporters.
May God bless you richly.
Cyril Morgan, CEO/Executive Director
Youth Services
Battling the barriers facing Montreal youth
continued from page 1
The Beaudry St. location is open five days a week, providing the necessary services to help
transition individuals aged 15 to 30 from the streets to housing and employment. And
while the services are targeted at a young demographic, no one in need is ever turned
away. Intervention workers work closely with engaged clients to set in place a personalized
reinsertion plan. They then get the help and the support they need to find an apartment
and eventually set goals for better living.
Seventy percent of Youth Services clients are men and they often commit to life coaching
after a first encounter in the program’s gym, or following one of the hearty weeknight
meals that are available free of charge.
“As our program matured,” said the Director, “we realized that an increasing number of
pregnant women and new mothers had to face the reality of living on the streets. Although
at first their numbers were low, we understood that our existing programs didn’t address
all of their specific needs.” Today, Cœur à soeur specializes in providing the material support,
monitoring and training that women need to access housing, find employment and develop
the life skills needed to create healthy environments for their children.
Key to providing effective solutions is Youth Services’ network of strategic partnerships.
Whether it is working with landlords who don’t require credit checks for program participants,
inviting members of the Montreal Police Force to meet the youth at a barbeque or liaising
with local social service agencies to address needs, collaboration and a team-based approach
are proving to be effective weapons in the fight against youth homelessness.
An innovative micro-enterprise
project is helping to fight two
of the giant obstacles youth
face – hunger and poverty.
The project trains street youth to
prepare and package healthy meals that
are distributed to the women in the
Cœur à sœur program. The mentorship
and employability training programs
equip youth to pursue viable employment
opportunities and the women get
the nutrition they need as new or
soon-to-be mothers.
Projet Logement Montréal
Info Mission - 03
Team approach to housing the homeless
dealing with high-risk tenants, the fact that participants’ income is
administered by the consortium makes their participation in Projet
Logement Montréal an attractive proposition.
continued from page 1
Based on the Housing First model popularized in the 1990s in
New York, the initiative is differentiated from other approaches by
one key factor – support. Mirroring the individualized methodology
employed within the shelters, the program will provide portable
accompaniment solutions to help support the client’s success.
Depending on the individual’s reinsertion needs, supports will reflect
work already done by each institution.
The four organizations will pool their resources to provide for the
key elements of the project: a housing team will locate appropriate
apartments, intervention workers will provide support and a financial
manager will ensure that landlords are paid. For landlords used to
Cyril Morgan is optimistic that the project will succeed in decreasing
the number of homeless Montrealers now occupying beds in the
emergency shelters. “Together, the four project partners already
serve the target population; we have relationships with these
individuals. Our approach is cohesive and consistent. By providing
the key ingredients of rent subsidies and personalized support,
we believe that we have the best chance of helping people to find
the stability and autonomy they need and deserve.”
For more information on the Housing First model,
visit www.homelesshub.ca
How many homeless in Montreal?
Someone who is itinerant is a
person who sleeps outdoors,
uses homeless shelters or
shelters for victims of abuse,
lives in transitional housing,
receives institutional care
without a permanent address
or resides in shelters for
immigrants and refugees.
HOSPITALS
76
429
SLEEPING
OUTSIDE
DETENTION
CENTRES
51
1,066
SHELTERS
THERAPY
CENTRES IN
MONTREAL
154
TRANSITIONAL
HOUSING
THERAPY CENTRES
OUTSIDE OF
MONTREAL
MTL
These figures do not include the provisionally
accommodated or “hidden homeless”.
TOTAL 3,016
The Montreal Alouettes team with the
mission to serve up Thanksgiving meals
1,041
199
MTL
Statistics courtesy of Montreal Gazette
Annual tradition provides delicious
turkey dinners to over 300 people
Children’s Services
This year’s focus
is on teaching and
building partnerships
If you ask most people about Welcome Hall Mission’s
Children’s Services core function, they will tell you
that it is to equip students with the tools they need
to succeed in their schoolwork.
Although this is a key service provided to every five- to sixteenyear-old child who requires it, the team’s approach has grown to
not only focus on the schoolwork, but also on the child’s personal
development. This year sees the team working with immigrant
parents to understand and navigate Montreal’s education system.
Building the relationship between parents and the teacher ensures
everyone is involved to help the child succeed at every step.
The reality of each child’s needs extends far beyond just help with
their schoolwork – it also requires integrating them into a learning
routine, identifying any learning difficulties and helping to develop
their self-esteem, all in an effort to offer immediate help and
prevent future problems in their schooling.
Although the team is focused on working with parents to help them
engage with teachers and follow their children’s schooling, most of
them struggle with the partnership. Imagine your child bringing home
their agenda with the homework assignment written in a language
What a joy to see the smiles on those faces!
Children are happy, are having fun and are
fully-equipped to go back to school!
T HE MISSION’S
14T H ANNUAL
BACK-T O-SCHOOL
EVENT
you barely understood! Ninety percent of clients are immigrant
families, with just under half unable to speak either English or French,
and who are unfamiliar with our education system, making it difficult
for parents to work with teachers to support their children’s efforts.
This year, the Children’s Services team is emphasizing relationshipbuilding, helping parents understand their children’s curriculum
and work. This in turn allows them to support their children with
their studies and general schooling. Children’s Services is proving
that when children, parents and teachers work effectively as a team,
the child wins!
Success Story
Demanding, depressed, dirty and wanting the mission team to assume full responsibility for
finding him housing, Gaetan Levesque was weeks away from losing his place in a reinsertion
program. His unwillingness to engage in any action to improve his condition had stymied
those involved with helping him. Close collaboration between resources in- and outside the
mission transformed what appeared to be a losing battle into a very satisfactory solution.
The mission’s in-house psychologist suggested Mr. Levesque be accompanied to a
downtown hospital where his medication was changed and he was treated for a pulmonary
infection. Upon discharge, he returned to the mission and the intervention team met with
his social worker to agree on a plan of action. Soon, he was meeting with a specialized
educator and a mission intervention worker on a regular basis; having so many people
helping him motivated Mr. Levesque. The social worker and specialized educator were
invaluable links to necessary outside resources and strong partnerships evolved as meetings
took place at mission offices.
Food Bank
Info Mission - 05
Partnering to fight hunger!
Providing food to hungry families has been a core service of Welcome Hall Mission for over
twenty years. Today, a keen focus on operational excellence and resource management
has allowed the mission to increase its capacity and distribute food to an ever‑increasing
number of clients. The food bank has become the largest in Montreal, with families making
up to 4,000 appointments each month, and its services continue to evolve.
One of the few food banks in Canada
equipped with a real-time warehouse
management system, distribution is
organized according to the products’ “best
before” dates and facilitates stock rotation
in order to minimize food loss. Other
mission resources, including newly-installed
food repackaging equipment and over
14,000 sq. ft. of freezer and refrigerated
space, set the mission apart as an important
partner in the distribution of surplus food
that would otherwise be wasted.
Built on a partnership model between the
Government of Canada and communities
across the country, the mission has adopted
a new data management system called the
Homeless Individuals and Family Information
System (HIFIS). The software is a component
of the federal government’s Homelessness
Partnering Strategy. HIFIS provides the data
needed by local communities to increase
their knowledge and understanding of local
homelessness and family issues.
After registering for food bank services,
clients receive a client card with photo.
This card is scanned each time they come
to use the service and gives customer
service staff immediate access to the
client’s file. As the software is adopted by
other Montreal organizations, the shared
database will also help ensure that services
are not duplicated. A web portal will
eventually allow clients to register
for appointments online, saving time
and reducing the call load on food bank
telephone lines.
Good operating practices coupled with a
renewed focus on customer service, help
ensure that each and every food bank client
feels welcome, respected and part of the
Welcome Hall Mission community.
Specialized
Educator
As they worked with him, the team started
to notice changes in their client. He began
to smile more often. He was cooperative
about getting up in the morning, began to
care about his personal hygiene and took
responsibility for his reinsertion plan. Their
perseverance paid off and Mr. Levesque was
recently approved for supervised housing.
Today, Gaetan Levesque is living in his new
apartment and gets the care he needs –
testament to an eight-month investment by
a cohesive team of dedicated professionals
and a client who was willing to change.
WHM
Intervention
Team
Housing
Solution
In-house
Psychologist
Client
Montreal
Hospital
Social
Worker
Health Services
Providing health services and guided
assistance into the healthcare system
The primary goal of the health services team has never changed – provide care to Montreal’s
homeless and disadvantaged. However, the care itself is evolving, and in a big way. In addition
to the medical care provided to clients who require it, the focus is on education about public
health services available, and reinsertion back into the healthcare system.
The goal is not to replace the public system,
but to provide basic care as required, and
then navigate clients to the appropriate
public services.
Think of the nurses as the frontline, with
Montreal’s services as the rest of the
solution. Through partnerships with local
community service centres (CLSCs),
clinics, pharmacies, and other community
organizations, Welcome Hall Mission is
working to bring a complete care
experience to the men, women, children
and youth who need it.
Thanks to funding from the Green Shield
Canada Foundation (GSCF), the health
services team is expanding. Two new nurses
were hired this fall, and in collaboration with
the Médecins du Monde organization, a
clinical psychologist is now offering
counselling services to the mission’s clients.
Through a continued partnership with
McGill University, nursing students
complete clinical training hours alongside
the mission’s nurses, and help educate
clients in the Education and Employability
program. The head nurse, currently
coordinating the health services team, is
also a guest lecturer at McGill University
to future medical professionals, helping
to demystify the realities of people
experiencing homelessness in order
to promote equitable treatment of all
people using health and social services.
Success Story
Steven is a great example of how
collaborative efforts with mission partners
can make an immediate impact for those
in need.
When he arrived at the mission’s emergency
shelter door, he had minimal personal
belongings and only enough medication to
last one week. He was paralyzed on one
side from a stroke suffered a few months
earlier, and his family was no longer able
to help care for him.
New mission partner
GSCF provides major funding
The nursing team evaluated Steven’s
physical and mental health, as well as
his social needs. It became clear that
finding a pharmacy to partner with
Welcome Hall Mission and help with his
medication was a priority, as Steven had
no means to pay. Once his prescriptions
were filled, the nurses contacted a social
worker from a local CLSC who regularly
collaborates on cases. The social worker
was able to help Steven rapidly access
welfare revenue, as well as apply for home
care services, allowing him to move into
an apartment and live autonomously.
This past February, Welcome Hall Mission
was the recipient of major funding from
the Green Shield Canada Foundation.
The monies will help fund the mission’s
costs for the free dental clinic, as well
as increase the number of nurses on
staff and add a much-needed clinical
psychologist to the health services team.
Thanks to three weeks of interorganizational cooperation, Steven is now
living on his own, has regular follow-up
visits from a healthcare professional, and
most importantly – he’s off the street!
The mission will also collect and leverage
data over the next three years, to build and
present a case for government funding of
these essential services.
Green Shield Canada is the country’s only
national not-for-profit health and dental
benefits specialist. The mission of its
foundation is to create innovative solutions
that improve access to better health.
La Boutique
La Boutique:
a skills training
program in disguise!
Shoppers at Welcome Hall Mission’s thrift
store, La Boutique, comment on the quality
and pricing of merchandise, the attractive
displays and the friendly, welcoming
atmosphere. Most don’t realize that the
store is the public-facing element of the
mission’s skills training program.
Through companies providing brand-new
goods, individuals contributing gently-used
clothing and via partnerships with other
charities in Montreal, the mission receives
hundreds of thousands of donations of
clothing and footwear each year. Program
participants work with mission staff to triage
and inventory donations that are then used
either to stock the store, or provide free
clothing to eligible clients – at all three
of the city’s major homeless shelters.
The skills training program is run in
collaboration with Emploi-Québec and
the Educational and Pedalogical Resource
Center (CREP). Participants, many of whom
were socially marginalized and are now
striving to regain their autonomy, engage
Success Story
100%
of the proceeds from the
PURCHASE OF THIS ARTICLE
Hall
BENEFIT Welcome
Mission’s
SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM
in several socio-professional integration
platforms across the mission that help them
develop skills with the goal of reinserting
them into work force.
The mission trains up to 40 individuals per
year. In addition to working at the thrift store,
their 20-hour work week can include other
tasks such as food sorting or working in
the cafeteria. Social integration and socioprofessional integration courses, French
classes and computer training are also offered.
La Boutique is open Monday to Saturday
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and members of the
public are always welcome. Want to make
a difference with your shopping dollar?
Get good quality, fashionable clothing at
the best prices in town – with new articles
arriving every day! Help Montrealers gain
the new skills required on the road to
meaningful employment.
Volunteering
Helping those in need
and making a difference!
Recruiting volunteers to lend their
time and expertise to events and
everyday operations.
almost 70,000 hours of unpaid work,
helping sustain key programs and services,
allowing more Montrealers in need to
receive care than ever before!
There have been thousands of
volunteers who have given their time at
Welcome Hall Mission over the last year;
ranging from coming alone, with friends,
and as groups with their companies. The
collaboration between the mission and its
volunteers is incredibly important, without
their help it would be impossible to run
big events and day-to-day services. In
the past year alone, volunteers provided
Now, with the development of a formalized
volunteer program, effort is being invested
into recruiting and filling volunteer positions,
while pairing their skills with specific needs.
For example, each year the mission seeks
out volunteers with current or past teaching
experience to help our Children’s Services
team. These skilled volunteers assist children
with schoolwork, helping their parents
Debra is a wonderful example of a person
who came to the mission in difficulty and
used the available resources to put her life
back on track. As a client of the food bank,
she learned about the mission’s skills
training program and made the decision
to begin the journey back to a more stable
life and eventual employment.
Nine years later, Debra is living in
one of the mission’s transitional housing
apartments and has been hired at a
Montreal food services company.
According to Debra, a great adventure
began on the day she first started
to make changes in her life. “I realized
that it was up to me to make the
effort, and that I had to keep moving
forward, without looking back at my
previous circumstances.”
She is proud of what she has
accomplished: “I have a home, I am
supported by inspiring people here at
the mission, I have been granted a
second chance and I have found a job.
I came here with nothing and now
I have everything!”
understand the school system, teaching
English and French and assisting with other
specific tasks involving academic support.
By working together, the mission and its
volunteers are helping to provide great
care to Montrealers in need.
Want to volunteer?
Send an email to [email protected]
Men’s Mission
Major kitchen upgrade
New facility provides
training opportunity
The mission’s broadest entry point for homeless men
is often the emergency shelter that caters to their
most basic needs, such as food and shelter.
Going beyond a temporary solution, the subsequent programs are
designed to encourage homeless men to get off the street, to put
their lives back together, to fight their addictions – if necessary –
and to find concrete solutions to their problems, with the goal
of successfully reinserting into society.
The 200-seat cafeteria is a haven of peace, far from cold and hunger.
Since the 1960s when the kitchen was originally built, the needs have
changed and the demand has increased substantially; 300 meals are
now served every day. A recent project to renovate the kitchen was
initiated to improve the flow of the area, replace obsolete equipment
and provide opportunities for training. The redesigned kitchen will
be used as a teaching platform where men can acquire valuable
culinary skills to help them find jobs and reinsert into society.
The new equipment will allow the mission to produce healthier
meals faster and in larger quantities. High quality, nutritious food
helps restore a sense of personal value to homeless diners and can
play an important role in setting them on the road to restoration.
Thank you to our major donors
ALDO Group
Bannerman Family Foundation
Bentley
C. Isabelle et Fils
Champag Inc.
Disney VoluntEARs
Echo Foundation
Felicia and Arnold Aaron
Foundation
Fondation J.A. DeSève
Google Montreal
Gosselin Family Foundation
Gourmet Privilège
Great-West Life, London Life
and Canada Life
Green Shield Canada Foundation
Hasbro Canada
Hydro-Québec
Hylcan Foundation
Intact Foundation
Investissement Guy Locas
J.W. McConnell Family Foundation
Leahy Orchards
Marcelle and
Jean Coutu Foundation
McDonald’s Restaurants
of Canada Limited
Midland Transport
Nothing But Nature Inc.
Oeuvres Régis-Vernet
Onipro Inc.
Peacock Family Foundation
Premier Meat Packers (2009) Inc.
R. Howard Webster Foundation
Scotiabank
Speroway
State Street Foundation
TAS Refrigerated Distribution Inc.
TELUS
Trottier Family Foundation
Veg Pro International
Viau Food Products Inc.
Zeller Family Foundation
Fiscal Year 2014-2015
Administration
Welcome Hall Mission is a registered charity #BN 10819 5215 RR0001
606 De Courcelle Street
Montreal, Quebec H4C 3L5
T : 514-523-5288 / F : 514-523-6456
[email protected]
CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY:
We respect your privacy and do not rent, sell or exchange our mailing lists.
To protect the privacy of some of our clients, stock photography has been
used for some stories; names are fictitious.
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