As many as 35 seniors will have to find a new home after the Salvation Army decided to shut down their seniors residence in NDG - part of cost-cutting measures to ensure the survival of the Quebec wing of the non-profit organization, CJAD 800 has learned.
Salvation Army spokesperson Brigitte St-Germain said they had to close down the Montclair seniors residence because just over half of the 50 beds were being used, it costs a lot to maintain and it needs a lot of renovations.
The West-Central regional healthy agency said it's working with the Salvation Army to help find new homes for the residents whose families need assistance in finding appropriate lodging according to their needs. That process is expected to take place between spring and fall of this year.
The Salvation Army said it's also shutting down its homeless shelter in Quebec City, for a total savings of about just over $900,000. It's been running an annual deficit of about $1.2M.
"We came to the unfortunate and hard decision that we had to close something to be able to get our budget balanced and have a future in Quebec," said St-Germain in an interview with CJAD 800, which was told about the closure via yourstory@cjad.com.
"If we don't do anything, in two years time, we won't have a Quebec division anymore."
30 jobs will be lost at the Montclair residence, 25 at the homeless shelter which closes in July.
The Montclair seniors residence has been housing autonomous and semi-autonomous seniors for close to 40 years. The L’Hôtellerie pour hommes in Quebec City has been serving the city's homeless population for about 60 years.