Funding shortfalls threaten vital services for women experiencing homelessness in Montreal
Montreal, March 26th, 2026 – After analysing our members’ results of the Vers un Chez Soi call for proposals, the PPLIF (Partenariat pour la prevention et la lutte contre l’itinérance des femmes) denounces the fact that whilst Montreal’s women’s shelters continue to propose a full continuum of services to prevent, address and resolve homelessness, the lack of government funding and coordination is creating untenable conditions.
The greatest impact in the redirection and reduction of funding is felt by the organisations that have developed a continuum of services external to their shelters to prevent homelessness and foster residential stability. Together, Logifem and Passages lost over 350,000 $ of program funding, including the salary of four frontline workers dedicated to vital and cost-effective services that help reduce the need for shelter spaces. Sally Richmond, Executive Director of Logifem said of the cuts,
“In just one year we were able to reach 150 women and almost 100 children through our prevention, post-shelter and housing support programs. If even a few of these women and their children lose their housing because of these cuts, the human and financial costs will far exceed the savings.”
The fact that these funding decisions were communicated less than one month before the start of the new financial year means groups have had to scramble to reorganize services and manage layoffs.
In addition to the cuts to external services, incomplete funding for beds in emergency and transitional shelters has has forced organizations to rely on private funding to maintain essential shelter spaces. This includes Le Chaînon, which has 21 emergency shelter beds that are not funded. For the women’s organizations that did receive funding for new places, the shortfall is at times catastrophic. For example, the new shelter currently under construction of Maisons de l’Ancre is projected to open in January 2027 at 50% of capacity, with just 12 out of 24 rooms available.
The conclusion is clear: homelessness experienced by women remains underestimated and underfunded. In Montreal there are organizations with decades of expertise that have developed concrete solutions to address women’s homelessness and stand ready to be part of the solution. However, this critical work cannot happen without secure, sufficient, long-term funding. We urge our municipal, provincial and federal governments to fully consider the needs of women and children experiencing homelessness in all funding decisions.
Media contact : Sally Richmond, Directrice générale de Logifem
sally@logifem.org
514-510-7772 ext. 305
The members of the PPLIF are:
Auberge Madeleine https://www.aubergemadeleine.org/
Le Chaînon https://lechainon.org/
Chez Doris https://chezdoris.org/
Logifem https://logifem.org/
Maison Marguerite https://maisonmarguerite.com/
Maisons de l’ancre https://www.lesmaisonsdelancre.org/
Passages https://passagesmtl.org/
Réseau Habitation Femmes https://www.reseauhabitationfemmes.org/
Rue des femmes https://laruedesfemmes.org/