The YMCA YUL program was created in 2019 after airport security and police noticed a rise in the number of people from vulnerable or marginalized communities at the Montréal airport. As these people were being regularly expelled from the airport, even in winter, a more sustainable solution was needed.
The YMCA YUL program supports staff at the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport and helps them intervene with people in vulnerable situations or people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
To support airport staff in managing issues with people from vulnerable communities who stay, hang out, or gravitate to the airport by identifying, making contact, and building trust with them. The two outreach workers on the ground provide frontline intervention services to quickly guide these people toward resources that meet their needs.
To do so, our team works with airport security, the provincial police, the Montréal police, and other airport staff.
3 key elements to achieve success
- Communicate honestly and transparently with all parties involved
- Adapt to the practices and needs of all parties involved
- Work together toward a common goal
We connect with people experiencing homelessness through outreach work at the Montréal airport. We slowly and patiently build trust with them on a voluntary basis. A daily, assiduous presence gives the team a high profile and makes our services accessible.
As with all our programs in the Prevention of Social Exclusion sector, we adopt a humanistic approach to intervention and look at the individual holistically.
Do you know someone in a precarious or vulnerable situation who hangs around the Montréal airport or would you like more information on our program?
Contact us!
From Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
at 514-243-4578 or 514-242-9865
Thank you to our partner: Aéroports de Montréal
