A year after a fire burned through a 19th-century former monastery for three days in downtown Montreal, organizations and housing co-operatives that occupied the space say they are losing hope of regaining their home any time soon. "The only thing that's been done has been to secure the building. That and only that," said Matilde Fraga, who manages Maison Aurélie-Cadotte, a residence for low-income people over the age of 55 inside the Monastère du Bon-Pasteur.
The residence had 38 units inside the sprawling monastery, and the average age of its members was 78 years old. Many of them had been living in their units for decades and struggled to find another home. They had to settle for smaller, more expensive apartments and, in some cases, living with roommates, Fraga said.
"We didn't have as much help from the city as we would have hoped," she said. Two of the units were occupied by couples, and a man in one of them has since died. "He would always ask, 'When are we going home?' Meaning the monastery.
It's clear the fire didn't help keep him with us," said Fraga, who says that along with other organizations she has been working tirelessly to get the ball rolling on reconstruction. Seniors are still looking for housing 2 months after Montreal heritage building fire Plans to rebuild the residence inside the historic monastery have already been completed. They include a new firewall and reinforcing structural columns, but Fraga says she no longer knows who to turn to for fundi.
