Responding to Indigenous Housing Need in Montréal

Funding provided through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy

Responding to Indigenous Housing Need in Montréal

For many, Chez Doris is more than just a day shelter for the homeless women of Montréal- it is a lifeline. Since its opening in 1977, the shelter’s mission was simple yet profound: to help vulnerable women succeed, to the fullest extent possible. Among the many programs they provide, there was one in particular that recognized and adapted to the complexities surrounding Indigenous women: the Indigenous Housing Program.

This program specifically supports local Indigenous women and their children experiencing homelessness. This initiative provides meals, beds clothing, recreational activities, as well as financial assistance in a secure and accepting environment. Given these resources, Chez Doris offered a chance for these women and their children - who have been historically and disproportionately affected by poverty - to rebuild their lives from the ground up.

Beyond this incredible effort, the organization simultaneously operates an overnight shelter with 24 beds and two permanent residences with supports, offering 20 furnished rooms and 26 furnished studio apartments. Women enrolled in the program receive a one-time allowance to pay for moving costs, as well as the cost of furniture, accessories, small appliances, and cleaning products. The program also supports women with staying housed upon leaving the program. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, Chez Doris welcomed 28,769 visits to the day shelter, provided 4,634 warm and clean beds for overnight stays, and served 41,289 hot meals to those who might otherwise have gone hungry. These efforts showcase the thousands of women who were personally helped by Chez Doris, while indicating an overwhelming need for ongoing homelessness support within the community.

The Indigenous Housing Program at Chez Doris, and the complex work that they do daily, is supported by federal funding from the Indigenous Stream of HICC’s Reaching Home program.

Every Canadian deserves a safe and stable place to call home, but far too many endure the harsh and unacceptable reality of homelessness. That is why HICC is investing in homelessness prevention and reduction efforts across the country through the Reaching Home program. Its funding supports local shelters like Chez Doris, nationwide, that continuously support the most vulnerable Canadians.

Quick facts:

• Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness nationwide. The program is investing $5 billion over nine years, through to 2027-28, to support the most vulnerable Canadians in accessing and maintaining safe, stable, and affordable housing and to reduce chronic homelessness in Canada.
• Since Reaching Home was launched in 2019, over 163,000 people across Canada received homelessness prevention supports such as emergency short-term rental assistance or landlord/family mediation, and over 93,000 people were assisted in attaining more stable housing. In addition, 77% of individuals contacted a year or more later had remained housed or successfully exited the program.

For more information:

• Federal government invests in 1,952 affordable homes in the metropolitan region of Montréal and Indigenous communities | CMHC
• Chez Doris
• About Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy