Welcome Hall Mission hopes to build a transitional housing center for the homeless in Montreal

It's mostly empty right now as engineers and Welcome Hall Mission board members tour the building, but the hope is that in the future it will be a functional transitional living space where someone can sleep and eat.

Welcome Hall Mission CEO Sam Watts, however, emphasized that this will not be a shelter.

“We inherited a 100-year-old system where housing was considered a destination for people and people came and went from there,” he said.

According to him, the new space is aimed at returning people to permanent housing as soon as possible.

“The question isn't how fast can I shelter you? The question is how fast can I help you find a permanent place to call home?” Watts said.

The Welcome Hall plans to purchase a building on East Ontario Street near Parfenay to house about 50 men's and women's units.

The building will have common areas and dedicated staff to help you find permanent housing and other services.

“We have a variety of connected services,” Watts said. “Our dental clinic, mental health services for example, employment services…Ultimately, it's really about helping people get back into permanent housing.”

Homelessness is on the rise in Montreal, and safety in the metro system is a growing concern.

Watts believes the decision is addressing the root causes of homelessness and the success of Welcome Halls' rapid housing program.

About 400 people lived here in the last two years.

“If we expand it, I think we're going to see a reduction in visible homelessness and we're going to see more people who are treated with respect and who are really productive citizens of our city,” he said.

Watts said the provincial government is committed to funding day-to-day operations, but buying and renovating the Ontario Street space comes with a $5 million price tag.

“We're going to be looking for a lot of help from Montrealers, who are always trying to help us,” he said.