Taylor Clark

LJI Reporter

A project seven years in the making is months away from realization. The Maison des Apprentis, a supervised housing project for people living with intellectual disabilities, will welcome its 24 tenants by the end of the summer.

“For many, it is a lifelong project to have, like everyone else, an apartment of their own. For parents, it is reassuring to know that their children will be safe and that they will be able to flourish in a living environment designed for them,” wrote Auréle Desjardins, general director of Les Apprentis, in a press release.

The community organization kicked off Quebec Intellectual Disability Week by bringing together the tenants and families for the first time on March 17.

“It was beautiful to see in the sense that there were lots of emotions in the air,” said Desjardins.

Steven MacKinnon, Member of Parliament for Gatineau, Mathieu Lévesque, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Chapleau, and Daniel Champagne, Gatineau’s acting mayor also joined in celebrating the progress of the unique project.

Before settling into their one-bedroom apartments, the tenants will undergo weeks of preparatory workshops to provide them with the tools to organize their daily lives and increase their independence.

Desjardins stressed the importance of all the players involved in bringing the project to reality. “All the partners collaborated and contributed to this, at all levels. Even the community because we did a fundraising campaign last year. … It really showed the mobilization of people, both businesspeople and residents in the community.”

Photo caption: Member of Parliament for Gatineau, Steven MacKinnon, greets the 24 tenants who will call the Maison des Apprentis home by the end of summer 2024.

Photo credit: Les Apprentis Website