'Not one dollar, not one bar of soap, not one pair of hands': Advocates for homeless grow desperate - Action News
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Montreal

'Not one dollar, not one bar of soap, not one pair of hands': Advocates for homeless grow desperate

Unable to enforce the public health directive that everyone stay two metres apart, the Resilience Montreal day centre moved outside Thursday to offer counselling and food to its Indigenous homeless clients. "It's not enough to just hand someone a sandwich and tell them, 'Good luck with that,'" said its co-manager. "But that's pretty much what is happening here."

Unable to enforce safe-distance directive, Resilience Montreal moves into Cabot Square to offer food, advice

Earlier this week, police forces across the province were asked to enforce a ban on gatherings of two or more people, but people who live on the street often do not know what's going on and have no place to go. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

People who work with Indigenous people living on the streets of Montreal say they're feeling abandoned by governments working to keep a lid on the spread of COVID-19.

"We have received nothing not one dollar, not one bar of soap, not one extra pair of hands," said Allison Reid, executivedirector of the Montreal Indigenous Community NETWORK.

Reid saidshe knows there are many people at alllevels of government who are tryingto address the needs of homeless Indigenous people.

Buttwo weeks afterthe World Health Organization declared the spread of the novel coronavirus a global pandemic, no help has come through.

Resilience day centre overwhelmed

Withservice providers unable to enforce the directive that clientskeepa safe distance from one another,some shelters have been left with little choice but to close orreduce the number of people they allow in.

That's the situation at Resilience Montreal, a day centre that operates next towhere many homeless peopletend to congregate, at Cabot Square.

Resilience Montreal set up tables in Cabot Square Thursday, handing out food to street people who find themselves with no place to go under the COVID-19 lockdown. (Simon Martel/CBC)

With the province on pause, more and more people in need of services are showing up at Resilience, looking for help, said the co-manager, Nakuset.

"Nobody is allowed to enter buildings anymore. There's no place for these people to go," Nakuset said.

Overwhelmed, Resilience Montreal has been forced to close, in order to avoid becoming a place where the novel coronavirus is spread.

Staff moved tables and chairs into Cabot Square to serve food and warm drinks,and intervention workers providedcounselling and information about the pandemic. But Nakusetsaid more has to happen.

"It's not enough to just hand someone a sandwich and tell them, 'Good luck with that.' But that's pretty much what is happening here."

Many don't understand what's going on. Some are minimizing it, she said, while others think it's the end of the world.

"We want someplace that they can go and self-isolate, that they can get out of the elements, that can be a safe place for them," Nakuset said.

With everything closed, so many people are turning up at Resilience Montreal that the day centre on Cabot Square has been forced to close its doors and move outside, to avoid overcrowding. (Simon Martel/Radio-Canada)

Volunteers not stepping up

The City of Montreal said finding ways to protect people living on the street is a major preoccupation.

"We are working to accompany the Resilience centre at Cabot Square, to respond to the basic needs of vulnerable people," said Laurence Houde-Roy, a spokesperson for Mayor Valrie Plante, in an emailed statement Thursday evening.

"We are working right now on opening other places in short order."

She said 24 public washrooms have been installed around the city, so that people will have a place to wash up. Other measures are being worked on.

Quebec Premier Franois Legault, right, and Horacio Arruda, the province's public health director, called on Quebecers who are able to volunteer groups in need of help Thursday. But homeless advocates say few have come forward, so far. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

In his daily briefing Thursday, Quebec Premier Franois Legaultencouraged people in a position to volunteer in the midst of this COVID-19 crisis to come forward, providingthe link toawebsiteto get people with time on their hands to volunteerat places such as food banks.

But advocates for the homeless say so far, volunteers are scarce.

They are appealingfor donations of blankets, warm clothes and food.

Reid of Montreal Indigenous Community NETWORK said her group islooking for people to cook large pots of soups, chili, spaghetti sauce even prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made on soft bread.

It's a call for help that Reid saidshe would never make in normal circumstances.

"We would never ask people to make food in their homes and donate to our centres," said Reid. "But the risks are far too great already, and we really just need any help we can get."

With files from Isaac Olson

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