OPEN DOOR, OPEN HEARTS

Thank heavens for Notre Dame de La Salette Roman Catholic church on Parc Ave. When all too often “love thy neighbour” is taken merely as a philosophical aspiration, the church’s pastor and his parishioners are walking the talk, welcoming a dropin centre for homeless people that itself was threatened with homelessness.

The Open Door has been doing wonderful work for 30 years at its present location in St. Stephen’s Anglican Church at Dorchester Blvd. and Atwater Ave. But that building has been sold to a developer, and there is no alternative but for the centre to move. It has had a difficult time finding new digs. Last year, plans to move to a location in Little Burgundy fell through after a backlash from the prospective neighbours.

Not that all of Parc Ave. has the welcome mat out. The owners of about 40 businesses near the church, located near Milton St., have signed a petition and presented it to the Plateau MontRoyal borough council, which in any case has no jurisdiction to overturn the church’s decision. The merchants have expressed concerns that an influx of homeless people into the area would make the area less safe and have a negative effect on business.

That sounds a lot like NIMBYISM.

In any case, fears may well prove exaggerated. First, homeless people in Montreal are rarely aggressive. Second, there are already homeless people in the area, and for them, the Open Door will provide an alternative to the street. The centre offers meals, bathroom and shower facilities, counselling and various other forms of assistance. It’s also to have a room set up for stone carving; 40 per cent of the people it currently serves are Inuit.

The arrangement with Notre Dame de La Salette will allow the Open Door to continue to play its valuable role.