Federal government commits $13M to Montreal homelessness initiatives

The City of Montreal will receive about $13 million in funding to help continue fighting homelessness.

The announcement was made during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon by Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Canada Gregor Robertson and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada.

The funding is part of an additional $125 million investment from the Canadian government to extend the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampment Initiative (UHEI) launched two years ago because of rising homelessness and encampments across the country.

The UHEI supports projects that address unsheltered homelessness and encampments by providing transitional and supportive housing, shelter transformation and case management and support services.

“In Montreal, we will continue to work hand in hand with the various levels of government and the community sector to provide dignified, sustainable solutions that meet people’s needs and help them get off the streets,” Martinez Ferrada said.

She added that the money is an important investment to help front-line workers and to assist in finding longer-term solutions, meaning housing.

According to the federal government, the funds were identified through savings of the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) legacy infrastructure programs.

“This is to continue the short-term work while we have a much longer-term goal to eradicate homelessness across Canada. We have to bring support to the people that need it and renew and transform the way we tackle homelessness,” Robertson said.

“Far too many people in Canada are living without a safe and stable place to call home. With this funding, we are ensuring communities can continue to access the resources they need to expand housing options and help people move into safer, more stable housing.”

With the launch of the Build Canada Homes agency in September 2025, the government says it is investing $1 billion to create more supportive and transitional housing across the country.