“Emergency aid” allocated by Quebec on Wednesday will allow Acuille Bonneau to maintain its food aid services seven days a week “for a few months” while it finds “long-term solutions” to chronic funding shortfalls for the agency.
The Old Montreal establishment fears it will have to stop distributing food in February, which could cause “a disaster that could have serious consequences for the ecosystem of the fight against homelessness in Greater Montreal.
The minister responsible for social services, Lionel Carmant, met on Wednesday morning with Fiona Crossling, general director of Accueil Bonneau, to avoid disruption of service at the daily delivery, rue de la Commune.
“It is certainly a relief to the people who benefit from a hot meal every day and to the employees whose jobs have been threatened by this situation,” said Mr.me Crossling in a press release following the meeting.
According to our information, the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, an organization that helps people who are homeless or in dangerous situations, can receive funds of about 7 million.
The funding in extremis will allow Accueil Bonneau to maintain its services until March 31, “a long-term problem that will be solved thanks to adequate, predictable and continuous annual funding.”
Photo by Marco Campanozzi, La Presse Archives
The organization announced that it will end its weekend meal services on January 6. Thanks to the aid announced Wednesday morning, food deliveries will resume seven days a week from mid-January.
At the end of December, Pres Accueil Bonneau, which had been in operation for nearly 150 years, was on the verge of collapse after three years of deficit. Its costs — labor costs, inflation, rising social needs — have risen in recent years, but its income has plateaued or declined because of the end of pandemic aid.
Catering “is an essential service but does not fit within the PSOC funding envelope [Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires] », General Director Fiona Grossling explained in an interview.
“Accueil Bonneau provides intermediate and long-term housing, but does not provide 24/7 emergency shelter. Because we did not check this box, our requests to increase the type of funding in the mission were not accepted. »
The organization announced that it will end its weekend meal services on January 6. Thanks to the aid announced Wednesday morning, food deliveries will resume seven days a week from mid-January.
Unanswered questions
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Carmant wrote in X, he also mme Grossling “acknowledged that food service will be maintained through emergency assistance,” but the development of services open 24/7 is necessary in the long term, opening the door for additional funding.
“It's a fundamental aspect if we want to provide the best services possible and help people who are experiencing homelessness off the street,” he commented. “Discussions are ongoing to find a lasting solution to the financial problems at Accueil Bonneau. This is our government's priority. »
“As discussions with the Quebec government continue, Accueil Bonneau will not comment at this time,” said Fiona Grasling.
