During last year’s trials, Montrealers like you answered our calls for help in the midst of extraordinary times. And for that, myself and my team are profoundly grateful.

Because of you, emergency overflow shelters like the Hotel Place Dupuis were implemented quickly and efficiently to assist our city’s most vulnerable when their lives were at risk.

Despite a serious outbreak during the winter, there has been a reduction in COVID-19 cases among Montrealers experiencing homelessness. And part of that is because you helped us advocate for and vaccinate over 1,000 people in that community!

While it is important to recognize our accomplishments, we are always focused on the future. With hunger, poverty and homelessness on the rise, our vision to transform our city is more essential than ever.

We plan to lead a movement that will make shelter, food and love a reality for each person in Montreal. We believe everyone should be able to access affordable housing, eat healthy food and experience the loving embrace of community.

Once more, I’d like to thank you for standing with Montrealers in need last year and in the year to come. Your compassion is the key to changing lives and transforming today’s problems into tomorrow’s solutions.

Gratefully,

Because of donors like you, in 2020 Welcome Hall Mission Provided…

Shelter

• 113 880+ nights of safe shelter were provided
• 82 people were admitted into the transitional housing program, Résidences Bon Accueil
• 197 people successfully transitioned from homelessness into permanent housing

Food

• Over 244 680 healthy and nutritious meals were served
• More than 71 000 appointments for free groceries were made
• 1000+ new families registered at Marché Bon Accueil
• Over 1.1 million kg of food was recuperated across Montreal

Love

• Over 3500 children received Christmas toys during the Noël Pour Tous event
• 100+ young mothers received much needed supplies through the Coeur à Soeur program
• 95 children benefited from tutoring through the Family Services Homework Program

A huge thank you to our volunteers! In 2020…

659 individual volunteers gave 33 557 total volunteer hours
More than 93 600 delivery kilometers were logged
$419 462.50 in estimated working value of hours donated

Thank you for making Welcome Hall Mission a place where compassion creates change! It’s only through your generosity that we can continue to help Montrealers experiencing poverty, addiction and homelessness. With your steady support, we can ensure that every vulnerable member of our community is able to access life-altering shelter, food and love.

Christopher likes to describe himself as ‘44 years young.’ Good-natured and composed, you’d have no idea that the former graphic artist struggled with addiction off and on for years. 

On the outside, Christopher seemed to be doing well for himself. But in reality, his life was far from perfect. 

“For years, I juggled my work, relationships and alcohol addiction, but things started to spiral out of control,” he explains. “Eventually, I lost my job and everything that meant anything to me.”

When things got rough, he realized he couldn’t repair it all on his own. He needed support from his loved ones and professional help to start living a healthier life. So he moved back to Montreal and checked himself into a recovery program.

When Christopher graduated from rehab a year and a half ago, he felt eager to restart his life. After a little searching, he found a small apartment in Montreal and moved in. 

However, he didn’t realize how hard it would be living completely alone. He tried to make it work for a while, but then something dawned on him. “I wasn’t ready for independent living. Not just yet, anyway,” says Christopher. 

Thankfully, he contacted his rehabilitation centre and they were able to refer him to Residences Bon Accueil. 

Since joining us, Christopher has taken advantage of workshops, counseling and other activities designed to help maintain sobriety. 

Today, he’s made great strides in his recovery and is feeling more independent every day. He’s even meeting his intervention worker less often—a sign that he’s ready to take next steps.  

However, with affordable housing at an all time low in Montreal, his newest challenge is finding somewhere to live, and the pandemic has only amplified the problem. Fortunately, donor support from Montrealers like you means that Christopher doesn’t have to worry about leaving during the instability of COVID-19.

“In the past, I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to find work and get on with my life,” says Christopher. “But here, recovery isn’t rushed. I feel nothing but supported while I search for a job and a new home. I am doing everything I can to improve my life and it is a relief to know that I have somewhere to stay until I find a home of my own.”

As part of his healing process, Christopher also rediscovered the joy that creating art brings him. For the first time since his childhood, he’s picked up a brush and has started to paint again

Thank you for giving people like him the tools to build a healthy and rewarding life.

This winter, Montrealers without homes experienced a severe outbreak of COVID-19. Thankfully, your steady support allowed us to take immediate action for our city’s most vulnerable! 

By partnering with other organizations in our community, we were able to secure government support to vaccinate hundreds of people in need.

Thanks to you, hundreds of Montrealers received their vaccinations at our Macaulay Emergency Shelter and at another public location in the Old Port. Your support helped us keep people informed about availability and offer a shuttle service to anyone who needed to travel across the city to receive care. 

Your generosity was critical to safeguarding vulnerable people and saving lives from COVID-19 this winter—thank you for your support!