Montreal to open transitional housing hub beside Notre-Dame encampment, with 36 beds in December

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced on 9 November that the city will open a transitional housing hub (pôle de transition) across from the Notre-Dame Street encampment, in partnership with community organization L'Anonyme, to provide emergency transitional shelter for people currently living on the street. The city will spend $1.4 million on the emergency services.

Three heated trailers, 36 beds with washrooms and a kitchen

The hub will include three heated trailers with 18 rooms and bunk beds for a total of 36 spots, along with bathrooms, showers and a kitchenette, and is expected to be up and running in December, serving dozens of people living at the encampment. The encampment stretches for about two kilometres along Notre-Dame Street in eastern Montreal and holds about 200 tents. The mayor described the hub as a "transitional step" to getting people off the street and into permanent housing, while acknowledging that there is not enough space for everyone at the encampment and that not everybody wants to stay in a temporary shelter.

Winter response: 3,000 emergency shelter spots and 2,000 transitional units planned

Last month the mayor announced that the city would provide 3,000 emergency shelter spots as part of its winter homelessness response, and is working to build 2,000 transitional housing units. The city said L'Anonyme will provide support services at the hub to help residents move gradually toward stable housing. Sources: The Canadian Press; City of Montreal news release, 9 November 2026.