Montreal mayor says city will offer 3,000 spots in emergency shelters for unhoused

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada says the city is planning to provide 3,000 beds in emergency shelters to address homelessness this winter.

The mayor says homelessness is the biggest humanitarian crisis the city is facing.

The new beds are needed, the mayor says, noting that many people using the emergency shelters have had to sleep in chairs over the last few years.

She adds that she believes the city will get the funding it needs after premier-elect Paul St-Pierre Plamondon promised to make homelessness a top priority.

The announcement comes after a woman died in an encampment in the Montréal-Nord borough early Wednesday following a fire.

Representatives of community organizations say they welcome the additional resources.