Ricochet shelter reopens in 'dream' location in Montreal's West Island after temporary closure

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People experiencing homelessness in Montreal's West Island once again have a shelter in the area, nearly 40 days after an expired lease and fruitless search for a new home forced the Ricochet Centre to close its doors. 

At the time, the centre's executive director, Tania Charron, had no choice but to distribute survival gear and wish the shelter's clients the best. Monday evening, she was finally able to welcome them back at a new location: the Villa Saint-Martin, owned by the Ignatian Spirituality Centre of Montreal, on Gouin Boulevard. 

"It's a relief to have found a space, but being able to welcome people in such a beautiful area is more than a dream. It's the cherry on top," said Charron.

She's been looking for a permanent home for the shelter for over two years. And while this new location is still temporary, it gives the organization a chance to catch its breath. The villa was previously used by the YMCA to receive Ukrainian refugees and became available again at the end of June. 

'Like a miracle'

"It was like a miracle for us," said Charron. "In two weeks, we moved everything."

The building, however, is up for sale. Even though Ricochet signed a one-year lease, Charron says they will have to leave within 90 days in the event that the property is sold. 

Charron says the organization is receiving support from the provincial and federal governments because "Ricochet alone we couldn't afford it."

Ricochet had found another building that wouldn't become available until January 2025, but as Charron explains, the cost of renovating that property has since climbed to $2 million.

"It's not dead, but we're looking at other scenarios," she said.

The Ricochet Centre is the only homeless shelter between Montreal's Verdun borough and the town of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. During its closure, the organization continued to support the homeless population in the area via its shuttle service supplying people with food, mail and supplies.

Jody Henderson, who's in charge of food resources for the shelter among other things, says she's looking forward to working with proper cooking equipment in a kitchen — things she didn't have access to at the shelter's old location.

"We never had a stove before, we never had a cafeteria before. So everything was cooked on crock pots, toaster ovens, toasters, so yeah this is unbelievable," she said.

She's also excited about the dishwasher given that the kitchen will be open 24/7. 

The Villa Saint-Martin is roughly double the size of the Ricochet Centre's previous location on Du Château-Pierrefonds Avenue. There are 12 bedrooms, each one with its own bathroom and shower, that can house between three and four people. 

The bigger space also allows for more common areas, like a computer room, conference room and possibly a small gym.

For administrative co-ordinator Mathieu Papineau, these are all elements that will allow the shelter to receive clients with dignity. 

"[It's] not just another place to have a bed, to have somebody to talk with, but somewhere they can call home and that they can trust us to help them along the way to their social integration," he said. 

Another big perk of the villa, Charron adds, is that it's removed from neighbours — something that's rare to come by in Montreal. She said misconceptions around the homeless population, shelters and how they operate have created roadblocks for the organization in its search for a permanent home.

"Everybody wants to help [but] nobody wants to help in their backyard," said Charron. 

"We cannot just put every poor people in a bunker or on a private island, it doesn't work this way. We're a community. We're supposed to help each other out."