Montreal homeless shelters fear COVID-19 crisis as cases rise, temperatures drop
Global News
The heads of several Montreal homeless shelters say they're facing a crisis, as rising staff absences due to COVID-19 threaten to disrupt services
The heads of several Montreal homeless shelters say they’re facing a crisis because rising staff absences due to COVID-19 threaten to disrupt services during the coldest part of winter.
There were outbreaks in 27 Montreal homeless shelters between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, with a total of 110 staff and clients testing positive during that time, according to the local health authority in the city’s south end.
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Michel Monette, the general director of CARE Montreal, says the city is “on the brink of a humanitarian crisis.”
Almost 30 per cent of his employees are currently off the job because of a positive COVID-19 test, and up to 25 per cent of shelter users have tested positive, he said in an interview Thursday.
While the shelter has so far managed to keep all beds open, Monette says he’ll have to close dozens if the situation worsens, and he has already had to stop offering other services, including psychosocial care.
“Shelters are at capacity; our users and employees are getting sick,” he said. “I have three, four employees each day being diagnosed positive. It’s not stopping.”
Sam Watts, chief executive of the Welcome Hall Mission, said the 108-bed hotel that the city has requisitioned for COVID-positive homeless people is already full, leaving shelters wondering what to do with people who test positive.
