Face à Face is in Danger
of Closing its Doors
for Good

After 35 years of serving Montrealers in need, the Listening and Intervention Centre is struggling to survive after its core funding has been cut.
Face à Face may be forced to leave its clients out in the cold.

Shortly before the holidays, Face à Face was notified that Centraide would be slashing 100% of their financing to the agency effective March 31st, 2017. This totals $119,400 in cuts and represents more than half of their operating budget. With Centraide giving them only three months notice, the Centre is dangerously close to closing its doors, leaving some of the most vulnerable people in the community without the services and support that they depend on.

Whilst the Centre relies on over 120 volunteers donating over 10,000 hours per year, without this amount of financial support, Face à Face will no longer be able to afford to rent its current premises or even pay their phone lines used to answer the calls of many distressed Montrealers struggling with Mental Health Issues and Social Isolation.

Closing its doors is not something Face à Face can conceive of: it would mean leaving 724 homeless individuals and 848 individuals at risk of becoming homeless without counseling, support, or a fixed address to receive financial assistance and/or identification documents. Additionally, the 22,000 plus active listening interventions carried out each year by Face à Face will need to be absorbed by other organizations within the sector — who are already overwhelmed — or the well-being of the individuals who rely on Face à Face will be in jeopardy.

"Cut-backs and loss of financial support has destabilized not only the Centre but also those we represent; this is a prime example of how quickly things can change for the worse. Like many of the individuals we work with, through no fault of their own, circumstances can render us all incredibly vulnerable." -- Grace Fontes, Director

Marketing volunteers for Face à Face have created a 'crisis microsite' which details the circumstances and how the public can help at crisis.faceafacemontreal.org and are calling everyone to join their efforts in continuing to promote the culture of care Face à Face is well known for.

We believe that Montrealers share our vision of a strong, diverse, inclusive community where people are more than their problems. Face à Face is counting on the community’s support so that we may prevent our clients who are marginalized from experiencing yet another loss.

For more information and to join our efforts please call Grace Fontes, Director, or Meghan Staton, Administrative Assistant, at (514) 934-4546, Monday through Friday from 9-5pm, or email info@faceafacemontreal.org

What Face à Face Does

The Face à Face Listening and Intervention Centre offers active listening, intervention, and collaborative support to vulnerable and isolated individuals, on the telephone and in person, in order to encourage the process of empowerment and social reintegration.

Housing and accompaniment

We offer various housing resources as well as an accompaniment service for those in need of a secure, affordable place to live.

Listening and referral centre

A team of professionally-trained volunteers are available to listen and empower individuals to overcome their difficulties.

Welfare for the homeless

We can provide accompaniment, defend rights and advocate on the behalf of individuals.

Mental health and support counseling

We offer short term counseling for individuals to explore their thoughts and feeling, reflect on their strengths and review their options in a safe and confidential environment.

Volunteer program

Every year we rely on over 200 volunteers who give their time, compassion, wisdom and skill to make our community better, healthier and stronger.

Café Rencontre

Café Rencontre is a discussion and support group that helps participants break the cycle of isolation.

What closing our doors will mean:

To our clients

Consequences (per year)
724 homeless individuals would be left without support or care
248 calls from suicidal people would be left unanswered
5,365 interventions regarding mental health would not be carried out
848 individuals at risk of becoming homeless would be without referral or housing information
7,792 calls relating to the public's isolation and loneliness would not be responded to
370 individuals would be left with no fixed address at which to receive welfare cheques
4,331 requests for help finding affordable housing would be ignored
156 single parent families would struggle to find suitable housing

To our volunteers

Consequences (per year)
97 students would struggle to gain relevant front line experience to contribute to their chosen fields
Over 120 volunteers' personal and professional growth would be hindered without proper, extensive training

To our community

Consequences (per year)
Other organisations within the sector would be flooded with an additional 12,966 phone calls per year
An added 1,053 general health concerns and 5,365 mental health concerns would have to be absorbed by the healthcare system
Up to 400 homeless individuals who receive their mail and financial aid cheques at Face à Face will be redirected to the only other organisation to offer the same service, potentially saturating this resource

Tell us how we've helped you be strong

Email

info@faceafacemontreal.org

Phone

(514) 934-4546

Fax

(514) 934-0063

Address

980 St Antoine West
Suite 101B, Montreal,
Quebec, H3C 1A8