Montreal will open its first alcohol treatment program for homeless people this winter

After years of advocacy and planning, Montreal will open its first publicly-funded alcohol treatment program early next year, welcoming homeless people struggling with alcohol addiction.

The shelter will begin in the form of a pilot project Jan. 1 in the Ross Pavilion of the old Royal Victoria Hospital downtown. 

There will be 10 beds for men on the third floor and three for women on the second floor, with plans to expand after the pilot phase. 

The city is partnering with the Old Brewery Mission, which will help manage and run the program. 

James Hughes, the mission's president, says the shelter is for people "who have a very, very strong urge to binge drink and, frankly, cause harm to themselves and others."

Most shelters in the city do not allow substance use on-site and ask for people to sober-up before using their services.

"It's very hard to serve them within the shelter environment," Hughes said. "They need dedicated services, not just the services that [shelters] can offer, but medical services."

A nurse will work with the clients in the program to help them cope with the severe symptoms that can arise from alcohol withdrawal. 

Small doses of alcohol will be administered regularly to the clients. They may stay for weeks or even months, depending on how their treatment progresses, Hughes said. 

He pointed to similar programs in Ottawa and Toronto, which he says have been models of success with the services and treatment they provide. 

"What we've seen in other facilities is that their behaviours start to normalize, sometimes really quickly," Hughes said. "So we can … start to get them back on the wire of their life."

The program was expected to open in the spring, but was delayed because of the pandemic. 

Homelessness advocates highlighted need for years

It is funded by a joint investment of $3 million by the city and province, announced last fall. 

For years, advocates for homeless people have said too many are turned away from shelters because they consume drugs or alcohol.

There have been repeated calls to close the gap in the existing system that keeps people struggling with addiction out of shelters and away from services designed to help them.

"Montreal is somewhat late to the game in getting a program of this kind of this kind off the ground," Hughes said. 

But he's confident in its design. 

"I've been to the facilities [in other cities] and the one we're going to run here in Montreal is going to be, I think, even better because of the partnership we've put into place with the authorities."