Montreal opens first modular housing project for people experiencing homelessness

The city has unveiled a new complex at the former Hippodrome site to provide temporary housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness.

Montreal inaugurated a first-of-its-kind modular housing complex Monday on the site of the old Hippodrome in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Mayor Valérie Plante said the project was an innovative way to help people stay off the streets.

“There’s no one way to solve the issue regarding homelessness … it’s a crisis that’s not limited to Montreal, Quebec. It’s in Canada, it’s in North America, it’s everywhere. So, we need to think outside the box,” she said.

The facility provides 25 single rooms and two double units for couples, along with round-the-clock support, including counselling and referrals, to help residents transition to permanent housing. Dogs are welcome too.

Residents are expected to stay an average of three to six months, and as one person moves out, another can move in.

To qualify, potential residents must meet certain conditions, including the ability to live in a community setting and not have behavioural issues linked to addiction or mental health.

Sam Watts of the Welcome Hall Mission said many people on the street face those very challenges, but he believes the project underscores how different needs require different solutions.

“People can stay in a position where they have accommodation that’s dignified, where they’re accompanied, where they’re helped, so they can get back into permanent housing,” he said.

Watts added there are existing resources to help those who do not meet the criteria.

Nineteen residents — from the South Shore, city encampments and nearby shelters — have already been selected.

Borough Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa said it’s a much-needed resource for the community.

“It’s their home, it’s their neighbourhood, and they will be able to stay here because it’s the place that they know and they love.”

She noted local businesses are even encouraging future residents to apply for jobs.

City officials said the complex is also about innovation, repurposing Hydro-Québec offices into livable spaces, and noted more projects are on the way.

“People that are going to be here, hopefully, will feel a sense of community, which is so important to getting off of the street,” Plante said.

By spring 2026, two more modular housing sites are expected to open, one in Ahuntsic-Cartierville and the other in Outremont.