As Montreal’s homeless census takes place this spring, I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that women experiencing homelessness or vulnerability have specific needs that are often misunderstood and frequently overlooked.
Diane Pilote
This census won’t give us a complete picture of their situation. Unlike men experiencing homelessness, who are often visible in public spaces, women are more prone to hiding: sleeping in cars, cycling through temporary shelters, couch-surfing with friends, or submitting to abusive relationships to keep a roof over their heads.
These women don’t show up in official statistics, and yet, their numbers are growing.
This invisibility perpetuates their marginalization and impedes any response tailored to their needs. Without adequate support, we can’t properly fulfill our mission.
Each donation allows us not only to provide immediate shelter and services, but also to fund initiatives that help bring these invisible women into the light and prevent them from spiralling downward into chronic homelessness. It’s urgent to develop new methodology that takes hidden female homelessness into account, and to create more women-only shelters with ongoing funding for organizations that truly support and officially recognize female homelessness as a distinct problem requiring tailored solutions.
Diane Pilote and Brigitte Boucher
Since I took on the role of Executive Director at Chez Doris a year ago, my vision of homelessness among women has been profoundly transformed. What began as a professional mission has become a personal commitment to these courageous women who walk through our doors with a simple dream: to live with dignity
In closing, I want to thank our partners, our generous donors, and our dedicated teams for their immense accomplishments over the past year. The coming months will be just as busy. In addition to funding our activities and the Fulford project, we’re working hard to open the transitional residence on rue Saint-Hubert before winter 2025-2026.
Together, we continue our mission for a more just and dignified future!
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*Cover photo: Diane Pilote – Executive Director of Chez Doris