By Mark Stachiew
Centraide plays a crucial role in helping agencies address the increased complexity of needs faced by vulnerable people in Greater Montreal.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, not only has the demand for aid from the most vulnerable people in the communities of Greater Montreal skyrocketed, but the profile of those seeking help has also changed significantly, making the situation more complex for the community agencies serving them.
“Montreal is in a perfect storm of facing a housing crisis, homelessness, a food security crisis, and, on top of that, we have multiple psychosocial issues such as mental health and social isolation,” says Félix-Antoine Véronneau, Centraide’s vice-president, social development.
To underscore how dire the food insecurity crisis alone has become, he notes that Quebec’s food insecurity rate jumped from 13 per cent to nearly 20 per cent from 2021 to 2024. In addition, he said that the demand for food aid in the Montreal area jumped by 63 per cent in just two years, with 500,000 requests now filled each month.
Although those on social assistance are still the ones most affected by food insecurity, Véronneau says that one in five households that turn to food banks are employed.
It’s an example of how the traditional profile of clients aided by the hundreds of agencies supported by Centraide is changing, forcing them to find new ways to address needs that don’t fall within their original missions.
Beyond providing funding, Véronneau says that Centraide plays a crucial role in helping agencies address the increasing complexity of needs faced by vulnerable people. This can be through supporting skill and leadership training for those working at community agencies, supporting and sharing innovative ideas to reduce poverty in the region, or by simply sharing data.
One example of an agency on the front lines of Montreal’s food insecurity crisis is Multicaf, an organization dedicated to providing food support and other resources for vulnerable individuals in Côte-des-Neiges.
“Our users often face multiple challenges at once: mental health issues, substance use, isolation, financial insecurity, and that calls for personalized, sustained interventions,” says Jean-Sébastien Patrice, Multicaf’s executive director.
“In 2022, we had two social workers at Multicaf. Today, it’s a team of 10 people, plus a coordinator. That clearly shows how much more complex the needs have become.”
The addition of this new team has created positive results. The median length of time Multicaf’s clients need to be supported has been reduced from 17 months to eight.
Another agency tackling food insecurity in Montreal is Resto Plateau. While the group has traditionally served the majority of its daily meals to seniors, the organization has adapted to a changing reality, including a more diverse clientele and an increase in homelessness in the area. With Centraide’s support, it hired staff and has put measures in place to respond to this shift to continue offering a welcoming environment for all.
In addition to increasing financial support in the past year for agencies combatting food insecurity, Centraide has also earmarked more aid to those dealing with affordable housing and homelessness, a problem which has become more visible in the city’s streets.
With the average increase in the cost of a two-bedroom dwelling in Greater Montreal up 38 per cent from 2019 to 2024 and a rental vacancy rate of 1.7 per cent in Greater Montreal, Véronneau said it’s no wonder that one in four of the city’s households is in a precarious housing situation.
“As you can see, the scope is increasing for all of these agencies which are branching out into new areas, so at Centraide we really are supporting them as they tackle what are increasingly complex problems,” says Véronneau.
Since it began 51 years ago, Véronneau says that one of the greatest strengths of Centraide is that it allows people to contribute to one major fundraising campaign that can distribute funds locally and effectively to make a bigger impact by supporting more people in their communities.
“There are very few organizations like Centraide which are able to have a global view of the needs of our territory and to understand where the gaps are and where additional support is needed”
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Centraide.
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