I am pleased for the opening to talk about homelessness among women. It may not be as disturbing, but it is still chronic. So we have to address the issue.
In Montreal, organizations that provide shelter to women in difficulty and women's shelters reported turning away more than 40,000 people in 2025. That has been documented by the people at the Partenariat pour la prévention et la lutte à l’itinérance des femmes, or PPLIF. We are seeing more and more older women. As for the face of homelessness, I would add that more and more people who have a job are lining up to get food and a bed at night. Day centres are full of people who have been given keys, but who don't have the support to establish themselves in their living environment, to feel comfortable between four walls and to find support and community through health care.
We could also talk about youth homelessness, which we see less of in mixed resources and emergency resources. We need to welcome them into environments that are suited to their needs and realities. Les Auberges du cœur, in Quebec, is an important network that should be strengthened and adequately supported because it offers not only community housing, but also responses to the challenge of transitional housing and even permanent housing in some cases.