Old Brewery Mission to open housing facility in Montreal's Lachine borough

The Old Brewery Mission has big plans for a building in the Montreal borough of Lachine.

"It's going to be 18 units of modest studios and apartments," said CEO James Hughes.

The Old Brewery Mission purchased the building a year ago with funding from the Tenaquip Foundation.

People who want to live in the city's west end and are in need of housing will be welcome to live in the fully staffed building, Hughes explained. These will often be people who have been without a home for many years, and yet staff will be on hand to help them get back on their feet, he said.

There are people all across the island of Montreal who are without a home and "right now we are in a housing crisis," said Hughes. There just isn't enough affordable housing, he said, and shelters like the Old Brewery — both the men's and women's facilities — are full.

"We need way more projects than this," said Hughes, estimating there are some 4,000 people without a home in Montreal. "That's a lot of housing that we don't have right now."

Hughes said it was actually the Tenaquip Foundation that approached the mission with this proposal in the first place. After a search, the property was located. It's a double lot that will be developed into the housing project.

This project aligns with the Old Brewery Mission's new approach to homelessness prevention and rehousing, the shelter says in a statement. Such projects minimize the time people spend in emergency shelters and increases their chances of getting off the street for good, it says.

Lachine's council pre-authorized the initiative Monday night and will be kicking off public consultations on a project borough Mayor Maja Vodanovic said the area desperately needs.

Vodanovic said homeless advocacy organizations and citizens have been asking the borough council to assist those in need. She called this project "a gift" for the borough.

The building is in the eastern part of Lachine, an area already undergoing major redevelopment. The property is located near LaSalle Park and the Promenade du Rail, giving residents access to green spaces.

It's at the corner of William-MacDonald Street and 6th Avenue. It will include 13 studios and five larger units, as well as common areas and an office for Old Brewery Mission staff, who will provide assistance and psychosocial support tailored to the residents' needs. 

Construction is scheduled to begin later this year and to be completed in the summer of 2024.

While there is an increase in homelessness in the borough, there are minimal services, Vodanovic said. The borough has been working to get funding and invest in the needed infrastructure, but it's been a challenge, she said.

"So that's why we are so happy that there is private money here that came to the rescue," said Vodanovic, "I would like to thank Tenaquip."

Tenaquip is a national distributor of industrial and occupational health and safety products. The company's foundation has long partnered with the Old Brewery. 

Michael Fitzgerald, executive director of the Tenaquip Foundation, said in the news release that this project "is getting us one step closer to ending homelessness, something we feel great to be a part of."