Québec solidaire asks François Legault
to use churches
In the face of the homelessness crisis in Montreal, Québec solidaire is urging the government to temporarily house the homeless in vacant or underused churches and is calling on Premier François Legault to show leadership in the face of "human distress."
The party made this known during a press conference held on March 12, 2025, in front of the Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus church in Montreal.
"I am formally asking François Legault for an emergency plan to convert churches into shelters and warming centres for homeless people. The homelessness crisis is unprecedented," said Ruba Ghazal. The Québec solidaire spokeswoman said that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) – the premier's party – should not take "half measures" to manage what she called a "humanitarian crisis" and also a "national crisis."
Ms. Ghazal says that there are several solutions to this problem, and that her political party had presented them to Mr. Legault, who did not react. The solidarity MNA hopes that this time will be the right one.
"We are proposing a new one," she says, pointing to the Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus church, which is underused. "There are plenty of spaces that will allow us to welcome temporary shelters, warm shelters in this church for homeless people, to give them care and services."
Ms. Ghazal estimates that there are nearly a dozen vacant churches in Montreal that are rarely used. They could even have other advantages for the city. "It would also allow us to kill two birds with one stone, to promote our religious heritage, which is underused, but also to offer temporary housing for homeless people."
They sleep on the streets in the middle of winterQuébec solidaire paints a portrait of homelessness in the city and sees homeless people hanging out in parks and sleeping on the streets and in the metro. "We see this human distress of (people) for whom it is unworthy to spend their time in the metro when it is cold, but who have no place to go because the current shelters are overflowing," said Ms. Ghazal.
The increase in the number of homeless people in neighbourhoods makes it difficult for the homeless and residents to live together. The situation "is intolerable for vulnerable people living on the street, but it is also difficult for our neighbourhoods and for social cohesion. On the ground, we feel a lot of insecurity, a lot of powerlessness among people," says Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the party's leader on homelessness.
He admits to having made several calls in recent months and multiplied "outstretched hands" to the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant. The opening of warming centres, the organization of a cross-partisan summit on the issues of cohabitation and the release of funds for community housing support were some of Québec solidaire's demands.
Reaction of the Church"Today, we are making a new concrete proposal to the CAQ: to convert our vacant religious heritage into emergency resources managed by the CIUSSS (Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres) to fight homelessness," said Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
As for the reaction of the Church to this proposal to temporarily welcome the homeless in places of worship, the solidarity leader is reassuring. "I have had good discussions with the Diocese of Montreal and there is openness," he reports. "Last month, with my colleague Manon (Massé), I met with parishioners who made the same proposal to the OCPM (Office de consultation publique de Montréal)."
This experience will affect all sectors such as Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Centre-Sud, Montréal-Nord, Rosemont and Sud-Ouest. The objective is to stop concentrating all resources in certain places such as the Centre-Sud and the Sud-Ouest. "We need to have diversification, a deconcentration of resources for it to work," says Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
Financing renovationsIt should be noted that church renovations suffer from a lack of subsidies, and this situation is recurrent. Under these conditions, some are wondering about the sources of funding that Québec solidaire is proposing for the conversion
of places of worship into shelters for the homeless.
The party says that some churches are ready and are currently renting. They are already being used as shelters and are managed by organizations. "There are some that do not require renovation and can be rented out quite quickly. We can talk about basements, parish halls, presbyteries," says the solidarity leader in terms of homelessness. "The diocese is ready to rent the churches," guarantees Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
Church: not a permanent homeThe spokesperson returns to specify that her political party's proposal is one measure among many others and that it aims to resolve, on a temporary basis, an emergency situation.
"The real solution is not for people to live in churches, we are not going to turn these churches into permanent housing. (The real solution) is to have housing and build massively outside (churches)," suggests Ruba Ghazal.
The party made this known during a press conference held on March 12, 2025, in front of the Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus church in Montreal.
"I am formally asking François Legault for an emergency plan to convert churches into shelters and warming centres for homeless people. The homelessness crisis is unprecedented," said Ruba Ghazal. The Québec solidaire spokeswoman said that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) – the premier's party – should not take "half measures" to manage what she called a "humanitarian crisis" and also a "national crisis."
Ms. Ghazal says that there are several solutions to this problem, and that her political party had presented them to Mr. Legault, who did not react. The solidarity MNA hopes that this time will be the right one.
"We are proposing a new one," she says, pointing to the Sacré-Cœur-de-Jésus church, which is underused. "There are plenty of spaces that will allow us to welcome temporary shelters, warm shelters in this church for homeless people, to give them care and services."
Ms. Ghazal estimates that there are nearly a dozen vacant churches in Montreal that are rarely used. They could even have other advantages for the city. "It would also allow us to kill two birds with one stone, to promote our religious heritage, which is underused, but also to offer temporary housing for homeless people."
They sleep on the streets in the middle of winterQuébec solidaire paints a portrait of homelessness in the city and sees homeless people hanging out in parks and sleeping on the streets and in the metro. "We see this human distress of (people) for whom it is unworthy to spend their time in the metro when it is cold, but who have no place to go because the current shelters are overflowing," said Ms. Ghazal.
The increase in the number of homeless people in neighbourhoods makes it difficult for the homeless and residents to live together. The situation "is intolerable for vulnerable people living on the street, but it is also difficult for our neighbourhoods and for social cohesion. On the ground, we feel a lot of insecurity, a lot of powerlessness among people," says Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the party's leader on homelessness.
He admits to having made several calls in recent months and multiplied "outstretched hands" to the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant. The opening of warming centres, the organization of a cross-partisan summit on the issues of cohabitation and the release of funds for community housing support were some of Québec solidaire's demands.
Reaction of the Church"Today, we are making a new concrete proposal to the CAQ: to convert our vacant religious heritage into emergency resources managed by the CIUSSS (Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres) to fight homelessness," said Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
As for the reaction of the Church to this proposal to temporarily welcome the homeless in places of worship, the solidarity leader is reassuring. "I have had good discussions with the Diocese of Montreal and there is openness," he reports. "Last month, with my colleague Manon (Massé), I met with parishioners who made the same proposal to the OCPM (Office de consultation publique de Montréal)."
This experience will affect all sectors such as Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Centre-Sud, Montréal-Nord, Rosemont and Sud-Ouest. The objective is to stop concentrating all resources in certain places such as the Centre-Sud and the Sud-Ouest. "We need to have diversification, a deconcentration of resources for it to work," says Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
Financing renovationsIt should be noted that church renovations suffer from a lack of subsidies, and this situation is recurrent. Under these conditions, some are wondering about the sources of funding that Québec solidaire is proposing for the conversion
of places of worship into shelters for the homeless.
The party says that some churches are ready and are currently renting. They are already being used as shelters and are managed by organizations. "There are some that do not require renovation and can be rented out quite quickly. We can talk about basements, parish halls, presbyteries," says the solidarity leader in terms of homelessness. "The diocese is ready to rent the churches," guarantees Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
Church: not a permanent homeThe spokesperson returns to specify that her political party's proposal is one measure among many others and that it aims to resolve, on a temporary basis, an emergency situation.
"The real solution is not for people to live in churches, we are not going to turn these churches into permanent housing. (The real solution) is to have housing and build massively outside (churches)," suggests Ruba Ghazal.
