COVID-Positive Homeless Families Left Without a Place to Isolate

Nakuset, director of the Native Women's Shelter Montreal and volunteer at Resilience Montreal says the city provided more support to homeless Montrealers during the first and second wave compared to now.

As Omicron, an extremely contagious COVID-19 variant, has caused outbreaks among both staff and clients at homeless shelters, this has led to shelters being short staffed and a need for more centres for COVID-positive homeless people to isolate.

Nakuset, who goes by a first name basis, said as measures were lifted last spring, emergency services for homeless people were removed and little were returned during the winter.

Staff shortages aren’t the only issue, as there is a need for more space to house shelters.

What was once a homeless population of 2,000 pre-pandemic, has doubled to 4,000 homeless people on the streets of Montreal. 

Across the street from Resilience Montreal is Cabot Square, where the Raphael Andre Warming Tent rests to provide warmth and free meals to the homeless. The tent is named after Raphael Andre, an Innu man experiencing homelessness who froze to death in January 2021, less than 2 weeks into the first curfew.

Nakuset says the tent holds 15, but often 300 people are showing up each day to use these services. She said the city has been asked to provide a permanent space, such as a store front since last spring, however, a space has not been provided.

She said the Native Women’s Shelter has been lucky to avoid having an outbreak among their staff during the fifth wave.

When the shelter has a client that tests positive, they are sent to a location the city provides to offer isolation. Two hotel rooms were dedicated for this at the end of December along with a soccer stadium made available in January, offering an additional 300 beds.

But this exempts families with children.

Nakuset said there needs to be spots designated for women and children, as youth protection services has to approve the spot where the children is staying. They may approve the Native Women's shelter, but if the family has to be relocated due to being COVID-positive, if youth protection does not approve of the relocation, the children can be taken away.