Making the streets of Montreal a little warmer
MétéoMédia recently produced a report on Dans la rue, an organization known for braving all sorts of weather to make the streets of Montreal a little warmer. “And with this warmth comes a ray of hope,” says Alex Gold, a medical student who has been volunteering with the Van for several years now.
Five nights a week, no matter the forecast, the Van makes it way to several downtown stops. It can be challenging to steer such a large vehicle through a snowstorm, but it’s often at these times of year that unhoused youth are most in need of our services.
Handing out food, clothing and support to homeless youth
The Van’s volunteers hand out food, warm clothing and basic necessities. And they do something even more important: they make connections. This lets them tell youth about other services available through Dans la rue and refer them to the Day Centre to get help, meet with our counsellors and find refuge from the cold in a welcoming, inclusive environment.
Alex says that the hardest part of volunteering at the Van is not being able to help everyone who needs extra support when the thermometer plummets. He thinks we could all learn a lot from doing a shift on the Van to see how difficult things can be and how much a helping hand means to these youth.
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