13 community organizations took to the streets to fund schools

Jonah was one of six children present, this Wednesday morning, at the Ahuntsic Community Center daycare center, rue Laverdure.

The building is stately, but dilapidated. It is a former school belonging to the Center de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM). In education, this is called a excessive building.

Since 1999, a dozen organizations have remained there in exchange for low rents. They support thousands of neighborhood users in a variety of areas, including food assistance, housing support, early childhood and support for seniors.

The particularity of 10780, rue Laverdure is that it is one of the few one-stop shops in the community from Montreal.

A newcomer who needs to learn French to work can take care of their child during their francization course and end their day by picking up a bag of donations at the clothing counter or a basket of groceries at the food bank. , all in one building.

The opportunity we have is to be several organizations together, said Myriam George, executive assistant at Pause famille. With a single bus ticket, our families have access to several services. This is a great strength because they don’t have a lot of resources. There, with a bus ticket, they come to the Help center for newcomers [CANA]in CLAC [le Comité Logement Ahuntsic-Cartierville]at SNAC [le service de nutrition et d’action communautaire] or us, at Pause famille, for child care and support for parents.

These are the families in need. Not just economic needs. Parents need psychological support because most are immigrants, asylum seekers. They find solace in itunderlined Mrs. Khattabi.

The pause famille is helping 400 households this year.

The families we receive are the most isolated, the most vulnerable. They will not pick up the phone to call 811 if they have questions. They will move and come to see ussaid Ms. George.

We still think the community environment isn’t good, but that’s not true. We, here, have 12 employees. We have skilled educators, social workers, people who specialize in perinatal carehe added.

Behind their infectious smiles and an obvious passion for their work, Myriam George and Laila Khattabi are worried.

Since 2018, the CSSDM (currently under the supervision of the Ministry of Education) has imposed a 222% rent increase, which until now has not been paid by the organizations. Family Break currently pays $ 2,360 in rent per month. With the increase, the amount will increase to $ 5235.

Solidarity Ahuntsic is the coordination office, in a way, from the community center. In addition to making the link between the various services, this consultation table takes care of the maintenance of the building and its leases.

In mid -April, the ax fell. CSSDM is seeking a total of $ 750,000 rent arrears from Solidarité Ahuntsic for make it regular for rent.

Failed to follow up [au paiement]CSSDM reserves the right to pursue all remedies available hereinwrote on April 25 a CSSDM Material Resources Service coordinator at the organization.

This is equivalent to bankruptcy. We cannot pass the bill on to tenantsexplanation of Solidarité Ahuntsic director Rémy Robitaille, who showed us, disappointed, his Excel spreadsheets.

We all have to move and there will be a break in serviceshe was alarmed.

Works forbidden

This is very problematic, especially since the lease is not regular, CSSDM denies us the necessary adjustments.lament of Rémy Robitaille. For example, we are not allowed to install air conditioning and we are in an old building where it is very hot.

Let us know that your rental is irregular. Therefore, for a matter of safety, you are asked to remove the air conditioner from the window as well as the water machine without delay.states CSSDM maintenance manager on May 12, at an exchange of which Radio-Canada obtained a copy.

Rémy Robitaille wants to show us the water machine that the manager says. It is a vending machine installed near the daycare center. Solidarité Ahuntsic wants to fix its electrical panel, at its own expense, to ensure that the electrical outlet is, certainly, safe …

CSSDM wants to sell the building

The most disturbing news came in early May, two weeks after the notice requesting the hefty bill.

Rémy Robitaille and his team discovered, to their surprise, that alienation of the building is on the agenda of the board of directors under the supervision of CSSDM. A process for seeking permission in Quebec to sell it.

We didn’t know where we were going. There is no affordable community place in the neighborhoodconcern of the director.

Will we be close or far from families? Laila Khattabi asked.

This sunny Wednesday, the floors of the community center are filled with parents and children. By noon, dozens of people lined up in front of the food counter; the line goes to the outside of the building. It’s time for the distribution of food baskets.

A longtime user, Michel*, came to us. He is keen on speak on the Radio-Canada report.

This is the life of the neighborhood that is here. These are people who work hard on a small budget. They work wondershe repeated.

Nutrition and Community Action Service (SNAC) assistant director Louise Donaldson has seen her clients double since the pandemic, from 1,000 to more than 2,000 households. Families who come to stock every month sometimes.

Ahuntsic is a neighborhood with a reputation for having large houses, but with pockets of poverty. And this poverty, alas, here we can help it, in the community center. It would be catastrophic if we had to go somewhere elsesaid Donaldson.

Closing the school shortage

The case is complicated. The former Montreal School Board (CSDM), now the Montreal School Services Center (CSSDM), lacks the money to renovate and build its schools. His real estate is an important source of funding. Result: he performed a major cleaning on her excessive buildings.

But for workers in the Ahuntsic community center, funding schools in torturous community setting is not the solution.

Rémy Robitaille pointed out that children who attend drop-in daycare are future school children and the community center offers many school services, such as help with homework.

Her colleague, Myriam George agrees: We have kids here who haven’t socialized yet, and there, preparing to enter kindergarten next year.

Throughout the pandemic, the health system took over. But there we are, the community, she argues. We worked with our families. We called them, we were in Zoom, we were in the parks. We didn’t stop there.

” The strength of the community in Montreal made it possible to prevent the COVID disaster, and there, we suddenly forgot about the community. “

Quebec returned the ball to CSSDM

The Department of Education denied our interview request. In writing, he returned the ball to CSSDM.

CSSDM is responsible for its use of its buildings, especially its surplus buildings, and for its leases to its tenants.written by Bryan St-Louis, who is responsible for press relations for the Minister of Education.

CSSDM has limited itself to confirmation by writing at its heart to ensure continuity of service in the Ahuntsic district. Its spokesperson did not comment on the process of selling the building.

We heard from people from the organization Solidarité Ahuntsic […] and met the borough mayor. We work as closely with them as we do with all of our partners. Discussions and meetings will be relaunched shortlyconfirms announcer Alain Perron.

The Louvain Est site: a glimmer of hope

In a desire to avoid disruption of services at all costs, the mayor of the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Émilie Thuillier, is appealing for help from Quebec and the CSSDM. He wants to build a community center on the Louvain Est site, a future eco-neighborhood of eight hectares located near the Sauvé metro station.

But the project is still on the drawing board. It takes time… and millions of dollars.

What we ask of all parties is to make sure we can coordinate so that the community center is ready before the Solidarité Ahuntsic organizations are evicted.explained Emilie Thuillier.

” Give us time to work on the new community center before we fire the agencies. “

Mayor Thuillier hopes the Government of Quebec will participate in the financial package.

We ask that everyone work together so that these organizations are always met and they are not thrown away because it is a break in service for the population. That is what we try to avoid. And I think the Quebec government should also avoid violating community servicehe concludes.