New overnight shelter for Quebec City's homeless youth welcomes pets

Quebec City street youth looking for shelter on cold winter nights will now have a place to sleep and so will their pets.

Starting Jan. 9, La Dauphine, located in theheart of Old Quebec, willopen up to six beds when the temperatures drop below15 C.

The non-profit agency has been supportingmarginalizedyouth in Old Quebec for nearly 25 years, offering meals,counsellingandback-to-school support, among many other services.

JoseThriault, who works as a counsellor at the shelter, said pets provide "unconditional love" tothe young people she works with.

"Often they have lost all contact with their families. Their animals are their protectors, their confidantes," saidThriault.

That's whyit'simportant the overnight shelter be pet friendly, as are La Dauphine's day services, she said.

"If a person can't bring their dog with them, they'll prefer sleeping out in the cold rather than leave them behind."

Incentive for change

Thriaultsays animals sometimes help young people who use the shelterfocus on their goals, because they do not want to see them suffer on the streets.

"By wanting to care for their animals, they learn to take care of themselves," she said.

"Sometimes their love is so powerful it will be enough to get them off drugs and back in school.''

Thriaultsaidvery few shelters in the province accept animals, and hopes to see more places do so.

SOSItinrancein Montreal, located in the Trs-Saint-RdempteurChurch inHochelaga-Maisonneuve, opens a pet-friendly space between 9 p.m.and 9 a.m.when the temperatures drop below 15.

So does Dans La Rue's bunker, in Montreal's Gay Village,open toyoung peoplebetween the ages of 12 and 17.

''In the winter, when the shelter is at its top capacity, all available floor space is dedicated to mattresses to accommodate the overflow of people who need shelter,'' said Kathryn Stephens, a spokesperson for the mission.

''We realize that dogs can be wonderful companions for individuals who are experiencing homelessness, but we do not have adequate physical resources to care for pets."

Stephens says the issue comes up often and says the Mission would certainly consider solutionsadapted to their reality.

SbastienThibault, who credits the shelter with helping turn his life around, said he's happy to hear it will now keep its door open overnight.

"The people at LaDauphine were able to push me to get my high school diploma," saidThibault, who used to spend his nights on the street and is nowgetting ready to start a college program in horticulture.

Thibaultsaidopening the shelter overnight on the coldest nights help spread the word to thosewho aren't familiar with La Dauphine's resources.

As a youth roaming the streets of Quebec City,Thibaultsaidthe only place he could find a bed wasL'ArmeduSalutorLauberivire, the city's largest homeless shelter.

Buthesaidsleeping and showering with much older menwho had very different problemsleft him feeling worse off.

"It's not great for morale,"Thibaultsaid.

La Dauphine Foundation set aside a $30,000 budget to hirecounsellorswho will stay overnight with the youth.

Up to 300 people are expected to show up this winter, along with 30 animals.