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Montreal homeless using emergency rooms as shelters during cold spells

Jon Egilsson was not in the CHUM emergency room very long when he was asked to leave.

Kkritika Suri profile image
by Kkritika Suri
Montreal homeless using emergency rooms as shelters during cold spells

Jon Egilsson did not spend much time at the CHUM emergency room before he was asked to leave.

“I stood there for like all of 10 minutes,” Egilsson shared. “Security eyed me up, I got out of there.”

The homeless Montrealer was seeking shelter from what he described as a “miserably cold” night. “You gotta have somewhere to go,” he explained.

The rise in the number of homeless individuals using hospital emergency rooms as shelters has prompted some hospitals to increase security.

The McGill University Health Centre confirmed that it has enhanced security and deployed additional social workers to assist those in need. Bianca Ledoux-Cancilla, media relations advisor, emphasized, “We always offer the same level of care and dignity to all our patients. Our priority remains their safety and security.”

The CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CSSMTL) reported a rise in the number of unhoused individuals at the emergency services of Notre-Dame Hospital, especially during cold weather. They expressed their sensitivity to the issue and stated that they direct those in need to “appropriate services.”

However, Marianne Paquette, the media relations advisor for CSSMTL, reminded, “The primary mandate of a hospital emergency department is to provide critical care for users requiring urgent services. Our priority is to maintain quality care and services for all our users and to foster a safe environment for our employees.”

As temperatures drop in Montreal, many overnight shelters are operating at full capacity, leaving people without a place to stay.

“When I initially lost my apartment this time around, I went to Welcome Hall, Salvation Army,” Egilsson recalled. “There was another one whose name I can’t recall, and all of them were full.”

James Hughes, president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, explained that this is not a new issue. “That’s been going on for a while,” he said.

The Old Brewery Mission typically accommodates 450 people overnight but, on average, turns away 30 to 50 individuals daily. “We are at capacity almost all the time, and frankly have been for about a year-and-a-half or two years,” Hughes noted.

Hughes also highlighted that hospitals are adapting to the reality that 10 to 20 percent of emergency rooms, which are open 24/7, are occupied by homeless individuals.

One tragic example of the winter dangers faced by the homeless occurred last month, when a 55-year-old man was found unconscious outdoors and later died of suspected hypothermia.

Egilsson, who has lost someone close to him, wasn’t surprised. “I had a friend pass away,” he shared. “I think it was last year or so. They burned to death in a porta-potty. Yeah. It was way too cold out. They went in, lit a little fire. They ended up passing out from the fumes. Burned to death.”

In response to these challenges, Hughes called for expanded emergency services, increased housing options, and a focus on prevention.

Kkritika Suri profile image
by Kkritika Suri

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