Montreal, October 28, 2025 – Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Leader of Ensemble Montréal and candidate for mayor of the metropolis, unveiled a series of measures to bring immediate and compassionate solutions to Montreal’s homelessness crisis, while providing young people with a genuine springboard for the future.
10 Actions in 100 Days: Strong Commitments for Homelessness
Accompanied by Claude Pinard, candidate for City Councillor in the Saint-Jacques district, and Benoit Langevin, candidate for City Councillor in the Bois-de-Liesse district, Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced one of ten major actions she will undertake within the first 100 days of her mandate to quickly meet the essential needs of Montrealers.
An administration led by Soraya Martinez Ferrada will establish a Tactical Intervention Group on Homelessness (GITI) to coordinate field interventions, plan upcoming operations, and develop a framework protocol for managing encampments — in collaboration with community organizations and City services.
To make this possible, Ensemble Montréal announced a $120-million investment over four years, aimed at providing financial predictability for community organizations that support people experiencing homelessness. This investment will significantly increase the number of outreach workers, improve their working conditions, and fund housing-assistance initiatives.
Commitments for Youth
Soraya Martinez Ferrada also committed to offering young people opportunities to grow, thrive, and build their futures. At the heart of this vision is the idea of redesigning the city to create spaces where youth and families can truly find their place.
It is crucial to invest in the potential of young people, as we know that prevention—through educational and cultural opportunities—can keep them from ending up on the streets. This also means ensuring that Montreal remains attractive for families so that they choose to stay and settle here permanently.
In this spirit, Ensemble Montréal reaffirmed its commitment to increase funding for youth-focused projects and enhance municipal infrastructure dedicated to them, through measures such as:
- Extending the opening hours of certain sports and cultural facilities, with nighttime programming for youth aged 16 to 25 to offer meaningful activities outside regular hours;
- Improving lighting in parks and public spaces, especially those most frequented by youth, to ensure safety and accessibility;
- Promoting youth leadership by developing hands-on projects in employment, culture, and sports, encouraging them to engage positively;
- Supporting youth success by creating bridges toward stable and rewarding professional environments, helping them achieve long-term integration into the workforce.
To further invest in youth, culture, and community life, Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced the construction of a new Maison des jeunes and Espace Rivière — a modern, cultural, and community center open to all residents of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles.
Quote:
“The inaction of Projet Montréal, in addition to showing a lack of humanity toward people living in encampments, is now affecting citizens who fear for their safety. Enough is enough — we must act, and we must act now with concrete measures such as the Tactical Intervention Group on Homelessness and the framework protocol for encampments.”
– Soraya Martinez Ferrada, candidate for mayor of the metropolis and leader of Ensemble Montréal
