Supporting people experiencing homelessness
Like every big city, downtown Montréal and downtown Québec have a large concentration of people who are experiencing homelessness and likely to face issues such as social profiling, substance abuse, mental and physical health problems, and legal troubles.
To support people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, the YMCA founded Dialogue in 1997, in collaboration with Tandem Montréal and Montréal Centre-Ville, formerly Destination Centre-Ville. Our mission is to help these individuals gain stability and improve their quality of life.
The team works in partnership with community and institutional resources in the area and acts as a hub referring, connecting and guiding people to them.
Outreach work
A frontline intervention service that guides and supports people and helps them find and access relevant resources. We also offer training and respond to reports from the community to promote social cohesion in public spaces and raise public awareness about homelessness issues.
The team adapts its intervention practices to the reality of its participants and also works with Indigenous communities. In fact, Dialogue has been an active partner in the Pôle d’intervention du Square Cabot near the Atwater metro station since 2014.
Planning for prison release
Established in 2018, the aim of this service is to prepare and support people incarcerated at the Montreal Detention Facility and the Rivière-des-Prairies Detention Facility who might otherwise have no place to live upon their release, in order to avoid creating cycles of homelessness. Efforts are undertaken starting at the detention facility and continue once the person has been discharged. Our holistic approach focuses on the individual needs of each person.
To contact the team:
Proximity 16-25
The purpose of this service is to build a safety net around young people, aged 16 to 25, in or at risk of being in situations of vulnerability, by offering them psychosocial support and personalized guidance to resources that meet their needs. We work in partnership with the different organizations in their neighbourhoods and act as a pivotal resource. We also offer workshops on the realities of youth homelessness in organizations frequented by young people, as for example youth centres, schools, and other youth resources.
Financial partners of the program
The Saint-Roch YMCA’s Dialogue project
The Saint-Roch YMCA’s Dialogue program is a frontline intervention service that aims to promote social cohesion in Saint-Roch’s public spaces and raise public awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness. This is done by creating opportunities for constructive and positive dialogue with and between the people who live and spend time in the neighbourhood.
The Dialogue team works in partnership with local community and institutional resources and acts as a pivot point, referring, connecting, and guiding people to the appropriate resources (residents, businesses, people experiencing homelessness, etc.).
Our goal is to foster a constructive and positive dialogue to help us solve certain issues.
We are the intermediary of choice for numerous community players. We are here to guide and support you in your approach to improving the social cohesion of the neighbourhood.
Concerned about certain social or urban issues? Our services are free and offered to anyone in the downtown area. Please write to dialogue.sr@ymcaquebec.org or call us at 418 454-3625 or at 418 454-0449.
Saint-Roch TAPAJ
A component of the Saint-Roch YMCA’s Dialogue program, the TAPAJ program encourages anyone experiencing personal or social difficulties to take part in tasks to enhance the Saint-Roch neighbourhood and get involved in their community. The program’s goals include social and professional reintegration, the socialization of marginalized people, and the creation of intervention opportunities for local community organizations. Through day work opportunities, participants will benefit from a stimulating and productive social setting, allowing them to change their environment and build self-confidence. First supported by community outreach workers, participants are then encouraged to develop their autonomy and start actively looking for employment. At each step of the process, the TAPAJ team is committed to following up on interventions, and with organizations and workers to ensure everything is running smoothly and to improve conditions for all. A compensatory premium is offered in exchange for the work performed.
Do you have questions about day work? Please visit our Facebook page, write to us at thais.campanacho-osset@ymcaquebec.org or call us at 418 455-6372.
Partners of the program
The Program’s Operational Partners
The Program’s Financial Partners
Contact
For any questions or assistance:
“Dialogue’s staff really helped me get off the street by supporting me in my endeavours. If they hadn’t been there, I would probably be dead!”