Montreal Gazette

The Open Door mission is at risk

The Open Door in fight to keep mission alive after host downtown church sold

- CHRISTOPHE­R CURTIS ccurtis@postmedia.com Twitter.com/titocurtis

The clock is ticking on a west-downtown shelter that serves some of Montreal’s most destitute men and women.

Last week, The Open Door’s administra­tors received notice they have until the end of July to find a new home for the day centre, which caters to people who have been turned away from shelters across the city. The Anglican church that has housed it for 29 years is being sold, and the buyers aren’t interested in keeping The Open Door going.

Further complicati­ng matters, zoning laws restrict the number of venues that could share a space with the shelter in Westmount and the neighbouri­ng Ville Marie borough. And there are few promising leads or landlords willing to take a chance on it.

Short of divine interventi­on, it would seem that the shelter’s days are numbered.

“People ask me every day if the centre is closing and if they’re still going to be able to get food, clothing and a dry place to sleep,” said David Chapman, assistant-director at The Open Door. “And I tell them, ‘Yes, we’re going to find a way.’ ”

For many of the people who frequent The Open Door, its staff and volunteers are the closest thing they have to family.

“To give you an idea, we’re open on Christmas Day, we give out presents, eat turkey and watch old movies together,” said Chapman, a former Anglican priest. “A lot of these people bounced around through the foster care system as children. They were neglected, abused and many of them never really recovered from that trauma.

“So you connect with them, and they connect with you, and the thought of tossing them back out on the street is inconceiva­ble.”

On any given day, people visit the centre to take a nap in the church pews or use the computer to connect with family on Facebook. They stop by to fill their bellies with food and often stick around to play cards, get a haircut or ask for help looking for a job.

In the long run, many stay and volunteer in the kitchen or on the cleanup crew.

About 40 per cent of the shelter’s clientele are Inuit — who moved away from Quebec’s north because of overcrowde­d housing conditions or to flee domestic violence. Many can’t find housing in the city because landlords have told them they won’t rent to Inuit.

“Without the shelter, I’m afraid of being stuck on the street. I’m afraid of not a having a place to go where people will smile and ask me how I’m doing,” said Sara, an Inuit from the Hudson Bay region. “It’s tough out here.”

News of the potential land sale surfaced last winter when the Anglican Diocese of Montreal stopped offering regular Sunday service at St. Stephen’s — the redbrick church at Atwater Ave. and Dorchester Blvd. The diocese told the Montreal Gazette it’s in the final stages of selling the church.

“Unfortunat­ely, the building is not adequate to their needs and we can’t afford to make it suitable to their needs,” said Bill Gray, an executive archdeacon at the diocese. “We will offer any assistance we can to them, we absolutely value the work they do and believe in their mission.”

Gray says St. Stephen’s parishione­rs have agreed to donate $30,000 from the proceeds of the sale to The Open Door.

Chapman says the centre is held together by people like “front door” Frank — who greets clients as they walk into the church every day — and “little arms” John — a muscle-bound former addict who tries to get people on the path to sobriety.

On Tuesday, John saw a former client of The Open Door for the first time in weeks and subtly worked his magic.

“I’ve cut down on drinking,” the man said. “I’ve been staying with my sister, and finally got over the morning shakes. Things are looking good, I’ll have a few beers here and there, but I don’t go overboard.”

John smiled and shook the man’s hand, and playfully slapped his shoulder.

“Brother, if ever you want the final solution to that problem you let me know,” said John, who used to sleep in the grass behind the shelter.

There are also people like Peter — who fled Liberia during the civil war in 1994 — a former client of the shelter who now works there 20 hours a week. Peter, a short boisterous man, took a break from wielding a mop Tuesday to embrace Chapman.

“I am a Roman Catholic,” Peter said, “he is an Anglican but I know he’s a saint.”

Chapman said the people who frequent The Open Door fear they’re gradually being squeezed out of west-downtown by a rapidly gentrifyin­g neighbourh­ood.

In the past decade, luxury condo towers have sprouted up across west-downtown and, just last year, Devimco announced it would build a $400-million residentia­l and commercial developmen­t across from St. Stephen’s Church.

Though the Anglican Diocese cannot divulge the identity of the church’s buyer, it’s possible the building will be converted to a commercial or residentia­l developmen­t given its prime location.

“People say they want to help the homeless. Well, we need their help right now,” Chapman says. “We’ve had some encouragin­g words from local politician­s, but we need action right now. Whether that means working extra hours, pounding the pavement, knocking on every minister’s door until we find a way, there’s gonna be a way.”

 ?? PIERRE OBENDRAUF ?? “People say they want to help the homeless,” says David Chapman of The Open Door. “Well, we need their help right now.” The church that houses the shelter is being sold, meaning the day centre must move.
PIERRE OBENDRAUF “People say they want to help the homeless,” says David Chapman of The Open Door. “Well, we need their help right now.” The church that houses the shelter is being sold, meaning the day centre must move.

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