After Jean-Pierre Robin pitched his tent next to Montreal\u2019s Notre-Dame St. E. in the spring, he was so focused on day-to-day survival that it took a week for him to realize he didn\u2019t know where to shower.<\/p>\n
He remembers the embarrassment of then trying to wash himself down in a fountain in a city square and the glares he received as people walked by.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but what else was I supposed to do?\u201d Robin, 57, said last week while washing his clothes outside his tent.<\/p>\n
Six months after announcing its first-ever protocol on encampments, the City of Montreal is still grappling with how to best address the issue. Heralded as the first of its kind, the protocol calls for a more tolerant approach and the addition of basic services where appropriate.<\/p>\n
The Notre-Dame St. encampment, the largest in Montreal, exemplifies both the city\u2019s efforts and their limits.<\/p>\n
The city has added services throughout the summer while working on more long-term solutions. But the encampment has continued to swell \u2014 now hosting 150 people and 200 tents \u2014 straining an already fragile cohabitation with residents in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cHomelessness continues to increase, and encampments are a reflection of that increase,\u201d said Julien Montreuil, director of L\u2019Anonyme, which offers services at the encampment.<\/p>\n
Last winter, the city helped fund a warming centre L\u2019Anonyme runs from a trailer. The service was extended through the summer, allowing people to get a coffee and bowl of soup and speak with intervention workers. Two portable toilets have been added next to the trailer, with one reserved for people living in the camp.<\/p>\n
Montreuil commended the city on its approach but believes more services are needed, including mobile showers and additional toilets. He noted visits to the trailer have surged from 60 per day earlier this summer to more than 200.<\/p>\n
He also acknowledged concerns from nearby residents, who have reported instances of open drug use, mental health crises and public nudity as the camp has grown.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to strike a balance between residents\u2019 sense of insecurity and the needs of people experiencing homelessness,\u201d Montreuil said. \u201cIt\u2019s far from perfect, but if we weren\u2019t here, I do think things would be worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
To push beyond emergency services, the city also recently awarded a 16-week contract to the Old Brewery Mission to help move people from the encampment into housing.<\/p>\n
In documents related to the contract, the city notes the encampment\u2019s growth raises \u201csignificant issues regarding social cohabitation, public health and safety\u201d for people in the encampment and those living nearby.<\/p>\n
\u00c9milie Fortier, the mission\u2019s vice-president of services, sees the effort as a way to help tackle the encampment issue.<\/p>\n
![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0818-city-encampment-9577_304753091.jpg\")
\u201cWe have to find a way to not only offer support at encampments but also find a solution to encampments themselves,\u201d says \u00c9milie Fortier, vice-president of services at the Old Brewery Mission, seen on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. Evan Buhler \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
\u201cMontreal is at a bit of a crossroads, where we have to find a way to not only offer support at encampments but also find a solution to encampments themselves,\u201d Fortier said. <\/p>\n
Fortier noted the mission\u2019s employees have already been on site in recent weeks, building connections and helping people get their paperwork in order. They will now work out of L\u2019Anonyme\u2019s trailer, matching people to available housing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a long process, but I think it\u2019s possible by taking it one step at a time,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Under the previous administration, the city attempted to clear out the Notre-Dame St. encampment before a legal clinic obtained a court order halting the process.<\/p>\n