Ricochet

Ricochet opens new location for West Island’s homeless

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Ricochet, the West Island’s only homeless shelter, reopened at a new location this past Monday following the abrupt closure that took place at the end of May.The shelter was waiting for its new permanent location set for January, when it was ordered to vacate the premises at its previous temporary location which caused 48 shelter users to be back out on the street.

Tania Charron, the executive director of Ricochet, was devastated for her clients and pulled in the resources to provide them with backpacks, bus tickets and as many supplies as possible that she could gather with a two-week notice. Ricochet staff remained in contact to the best of their ability with shelter users while Charron worked tirelessly to find a new temporary location. After weeks of meetings with public and private landlords, city officials and real estate professionals, Charron was able to pull it off. “This is a huge relief, I can finally sleep better knowing that we can accomplish our mission. For me it was a tragedy, so knowing that we can open a 24/7 program that will have an impact on the lives of people is so important,” Charron told The Suburban.

The Montreal Ignatian Spirituality Centre agreed to rent their building to Ricochet for a year, as the previous tenants, a successful YMCA program for Ukrainian refugees in transition, has recently vacated the premises.

The new temporary Ricochet Centre will be located at 9451 Boulevard Gouin West in Pierrefonds. The beautiful grounds surrounding the building, that was originally designed for a Jesuit monastery, will give shelter users additional comfort during their stay. “Our new temporary location will be a true haven, allowing Ricochet beneficiaries to rest and recharge,” Charron said. “The large wooded area by the water, combined with better-adapted facilities, including a kitchen, cafeteria, and more showers, will perfectly meet our needs.”

Ricochet’s 24/7 shelter service will allow beneficiaries to rest, eat, shower, wash their clothes, and be redirected to other specialized services as needed. They will also receive support and guidance from psychosocial workers, a practice that is at the heart of the organization. With 48 permanent beds at the Ricochet Centre, the shelter not only provides a roof but also helps vulnerable people and veterans reintegrate into society by offering a stable environment, psychosocial support, and guidance towards housing stability.

Shuttle and social mediation services remain in place to facilitate access to Ricochet’s services and promote harmonious relationships in the community.

“We knew that the Ricochet Centre wouldn’t be closed for long because our organization is known for achieving the impossible,” Charron said. n

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Ricochet users are back on the streets

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

“I don’t know where I am going tonight,” Louis Rouillard, a user of Ricochet’s shelter service in Pierrefonds, told The Suburban last week. Thursday night was the last night for Ricochet users as the new location will only be ready by January 2025 and the West Island CIUSSS did not extend the lease for the current location in Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

“I am visiting a potential temporary location this afternoon and two tomorrow,” Ricochet Director Tania Charron said to The Suburban. “This is a very challenging time for all of us.” The organization bought $12,000 worth of back packs, tents, sleeping bags and bus tickets to help offset some of the stress for its users while it works tirelessly to find an interim solution. “In the meantime, we will offer services twice a week at Westview Bible Church, about a ten-minute walk from here and our shuttle service will continue to operate each day. The main thing is that we have to stay in touch with the community to keep a social safety net around them. We want them to feel our presence and dedication,” Charron explained.

Charron says that as many as 75% of users require medications and she is worried about their well-being. She says she will do everything in her power to get them the support that they need during this transition. “Finding a temporary location is a major challenge. Imagine that we have to convince a landlord that it is a good idea to give us space for a few months to house homeless people. It is no easy task, but I will try my very best.”

Rouillard says that trust is easily shaken in his community. “We did not have a good experience. We were run out of the tent communities by police with nowhere to go,” he explained. Rouillard was referred by a friend to Ricochet and was starting to gain a sense of security and belonging. “I cleaned up the grounds here and made things nice as my way of giving back. It is a beautiful place near the water and it helps me to meditate as part of a kind of healing. I was abused by a priest as a child and my family did not support me. I could not live with that hypocrisy and I ended up in the streets.” Rouillard says that the betrayal he felt by his church and his family was relived when his tent community was “run out of town” as he described it. Today at 64 years old, Rouillard started to regain some trust with the support he was receiving at Ricochet which offers an array of services to help users deal with past trauma and work towards solutions to surmount homelessness. “It is more than just a shelter and I am so grateful for what they have done and for these back packs. I guess I will take it day by day.”

Rouillard is not alone. Fifty people are now looking for shelter until Ricochet’s new location opens in January while many of Montreal’s temporary shelters are closing for the summer season.

Alexandre Cadieux, a spokesperson for the West Island CIUSSS, told The Suburban that the agency’s commitment to Ricochet remains unwavering and that it has been supporting the Ricochet organization since 2020 in its search for a premises to house homeless people. “Since 2021, we have notably extended the lease for Pavillon Pierrefonds four times, initially planned for a period of two months, in order to guarantee the continuity of services. In April 2023, we informed Ricochet of the non-renewal of the lease since the spaces are intended to accommodate young people in rehabilitation, and that they require work.”

Pierrefonds-Roxboro City Councillor and the Official Opposition critic for Homelessness in Montreal Benoît Langevin says that it is not the Health Authority’s job to search for locations and that the Plante administration is missing the buck on its duties. “It is up to the City of Montreal to assist local organizations in securing a location and associated permits, not the provincial government or health authorities. The provincial government is responsible for financing and assisting with the services and operations proposed to it by the organizations with the support of the city. It makes no sense that the city just sat down here in the middle of a crisis, pointing its finger at the Quebec government with a blanket statement when it has 79 vacant buildings (owned by the city) that should have been assessed as possible relocations, amongst other options. The city has to plan its needs and coordinate the project that needs to go forward in collaboration with the organization to put forth the request to the Quebec government which this administration never had the leadership to do.”

“We work with cities for locations. We offer services inside the walls and they are responsible to find and propose spaces. It’s no easy task, we are aware of that. We need everyone’s cooperation working together,” spokesperson for the Quebec Minister of Social Services Lambert Drainville told The Suburban. “Homelessness has increased by 44% percent since 2021 so it’s a social issue that is lived across North America.” n

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AJOI to relocate to improved facility in Pierrefonds

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Ricochet (Accommodation/Homes) announced its relocation plans slated to take place at the start of 2025, remaining faithful to its commitment to people in situations of residential instability and homelessness in the West Island of Montreal and surrounding areas. The new location will remain in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, but with increased accessibility to public transport in order to facilitate access to its beneficiaries.

Ricochet general manager Tania Charron told The Suburban that the establishment will maintain its 48 spaces to accommodate the centre’s users. “Twenty-four beds will continue to be available for emergency sheltering and twenty-four beds for our medium term program which includes the daytime services where people can stay for a few months to develop a plan of action with support of social workers will also remain available, all with easier access by transport.”

Charron says that despite the many challenges the Ricochet centre has faced, the organization remains committed to its mission. “We are determined to continue to help vulnerable people and with even greater dedication. The location, which will be revealed closer to the opening date, will also be adapted to meet the needs specific to Ricochet,” Charron explained.

The organization is working with Smith Vigeant Architectes to create a space that will not only allow the organization to maintain its existing services, but also to develop new and inclusive ones.“We are eager to create a place where every individual will be able to step back and have the opportunity to bounce back, in an environment that promotes respect and dignity for all,” Charron said.

The relocation and renovation project was made possible thanks to a donation of $150,000 from Hockey Helps the Homeless (HHTH) — one of Ricochet‘s major financial supporters since 2017. Additional funds will be collected during HHTH’s hockey tournament scheduled for April 12 at the Pierrefonds arena.

Desjardins Caisse de l’Ouest-de-l’Île donated $40,000 towards the construction of an optimal kitchen to allow the organization to serve quality meals while providing a spacious and ergonomic space where beneficiaries can participate in the kitchen activities. Partage-Action de l’Ouest-de-l’Île donated $30,000 for general renovations of the premises to improve the overall environment of the centre. Paquette & Associés Avocats donated $5,000 for the renovation of the rooms of the beneficiaries.

“In this incessant tumult of challenges and obstacles, the sustained commitment of partners who recognize our work, revives our hope. Their compassion towards the vulnerable people of the community strengthens our determination to pursue our mission with even greater vigour,” Charron said. n

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