On the move: Montreal's West Island food bank, shelter to relocate due to growing demand

Two organizations serving the most vulnerable in Montreal's West Island are forced to expand their operations due to growing need.

Both the West Island Mission Food Bank and the Ricochet Shelter say they have struggled to keep up with demand and have had to move to larger locations. West Island Mission is moving into a new warehouse and will nearly double in size when Ricochet plans to move next year.

Homelessness has been a growing problem in the West Island, and intervention worker Kathryn Guerrero and her colleagues at Ricochet say they have to turn people away every night.

“I feel so sad. I feel guilty. I feel like I'm not doing everything I can to help them,” Guerrero said.

According to Tanya Charron, Ricochet's executive director, the shelter has seen an increase in clients over the past few months – welcoming more than 6,000 visitors in seven months. According to him, it is impossible to find cheap apartments for rent in the district.

Charron said most people experiencing homelessness in the West Island don't want to travel downtown to use shelter. If they are turned away from the Pierrefonds shelter, they prefer to sleep in their cars or on the street.

But opening a larger shelter in a new location nearby will mark the beginning of a new chapter. While the exact location has yet to be determined, Charron says it will be central to the West Island and have good access to public transportation.

The new shelter will be a major upgrade, he said. Currently has two showers, kitchen, washer and dryer. A large kitchen, two laundry rooms, about a dozen showers and 48 beds are also available for public use. Charron hopes the expansion will help ease the strain on other shelters on the island.

“It's a relief. We can be autonomous and create new programs. It's great,” he said. “Homelessness is getting worse and worse in the West Island and everywhere. We really need to find a solution and do something about this social crisis.”

The move is expected early next year.

Pierrefonds-Roxborough City Councilman Benoit Langevin welcomed the expansion, saying he was concerned about the increase in homelessness in his area. He said resources like beds and food banks are needed more than ever.

“If we don't increase the number of places available in the emergency system network, we will have more encampments.” he said. “Public safety and policing are only affected by bringing someone from one park to another. “Throwing people out doesn't work.”

Food security is also increasing

The West Island Mission, currently based in Pointe-Claire, says the number of people relying on the food bank has doubled since 2020. Currently, it feeds about 400 families a month.

Executive director Suzanne Scarrow says the need isn't going away. Demand for grocery cart services has grown by 32 percent in the past year.

So the organization is soon moving into a giant warehouse full of food.

“We can build whatever we want,” Scarrow said. “We don't just take old desks and old offices and make it work. We can make our dreams come true.”

Scarrow said the move has been in the works for years since demand exploded during the pandemic.

The new location will be in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, three minutes from the current location. He will start work in June.

The kitchen will be shared with Volunteer West Island, which runs the Meals on Wheels program.

Lydia Barrett, executive director of Volunteer West Island, said the goal is to start serving 60 people and create a program to provide more support to those in need.