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Starting in January, a new hotline will connect citizens and business owners with a squad dedicated to providing resources for the most vulnerable.
The city announced Tuesday it will expand its Équipe mobile de médiation en intervention sociale (ÉMMIS) to three more boroughs in 2025 and gradually to all 19 boroughs by 2028. By that time, the number of people working for the squad is expected to grow to 90 personnel from the current 52.
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Already deployed throughout the métro network and four boroughs (Ville-Marie, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Sud-Ouest and Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve), ÉMMIS will be expanded to the Ahuntsic—Cartierville borough by next year. The expansion will cost $50 million, split evenly by the province and city over a three-year period between 2025 and 2028.
ÉMMIS already responds to nine calls per day on average. Roughly 15 per cent of those calls came from businesses. The team responded to 1,075 incidents throughout the métro network between February and June 2024.
The expansion also includes a new hotline that Montrealers can call if they need the ÉMMIS service: 211. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Heather Johnston, director general of the Information and Referral Center of Greater Montréal, explained that the rollout of ÉMMIS across the city’s boroughs may take several months, but the 211 hotline will be available to anyone throughout the island even if their borough isn’t covered by ÉMMIS. If someone calls from one of those boroughs, they will be referred to the appropriate community resource.
“We have a team of experienced counsellors, so we will be able to refer them to where they need to go,” Johnston said.
Reacting to the announcement, the city’s opposition deplored that it took so long for Mayor Valérie Plante to expand the ÉMMIS service across the city, saying the money for this resource has been available for two years already.
“Once again, the most vulnerable are paying for the poor management of Projet Montréal,” said Benoit Langevin, the opposition critic for homelessness issues.
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