Montreal's first supervised drug inhalation center opens in Saint-Henri despite concerns

Montreal's first supervised drug inhalation center opens next week in the Saint-Henri neighborhood, but the new facility offers much more than a safe space to get high.

“This is a place where people can safely use drugs under the supervision of interventionists,” said Andrean Desilets, executive director of Maison Benoit Labre.

“This place is for injecting and inhaling drugs.”

Medical supplies are available in case of an emergency, but Desilets explained that people should bring their own medicine.

“We don't give things away. “We're going to give them the help they need to make sure it's safe,” he said.

There are also 36 studio apartments, a kitchen and a reception area for the organization to provide a range of social services to those in need.

The center houses homeless people struggling with substance abuse and mental illness. Showers, on-site meals, medical assistance, social events and other outreach services are provided here.

“A new kitchen, a safe, and a big improvement,” said Desilets, who gave a media tour Thursday. “We had pitchers trying to feed hundreds of people.”

The new facility on Green Avenue in St. Henri has 36 studio-style apartments. (Melissa Francois/CBC)

Maison Benoît Labre, a non-profit organization focused primarily on housing security, aims to empower people to regain control of their lives and reintegrate into society. He has been working in the Sud-Ouest district for more than seventy years. Financial support for the new facility comes from a number of partners, including the local health agency and the provincial and federal governments.

In the fall, there was concern about opening a supervised drug use facility in the neighborhood.

The building is located approximately 100 meters from Victor-Rousselot Elementary School. Parents of students are among those who are concerned about integrating such a facility into the district.

The story continues

Not far from a building on Green Avenue, a large banner hangs from a balcony protesting a supervised drug use center. Other neighborhood signs complain about the types of drugs used in the building, such as crack, fentanyl and crystal meth.

“It's a serious drug,” said Karen Avendano, who lives across the street. “Our concern is the safety of the general public and children.”

Apart from the school, there is a park nearby, he said.

“We understand the concern,” Desilets said, adding that there is concern about people using uncontrolled substances on the streets of Montreal. “People use it outside, everywhere.”

In a controlled environment, he explained, people have access to medical care and an intervention worker — things they need to survive.

Last year, when the opposition began to grow, the local council. Craig Sauve said there is no perfect place for sites that help people escape chronic homelessness or fight addiction.

There are other controlled inhalation sites around, but this is a first for Montreal. The city has had other safe injection sites for some time. The new facility will officially open on Monday, and residents will gradually begin arriving by the end of the week.