Women's Y of Montreal opens Résidenti'elle, a 96-unit social housing project for vulnerable women

The Women's Y of Montreal has opened Résidenti'elle, a social housing project with 96 units designed for women escaping violence, facing housing instability, or at risk.

The residence mixes temporary and permanent housing: 36 units operate without on-site support; 60 units offer varying levels of psychosocial care for single women, single parents, and caregivers; and 19 units provide first-stage emergency shelter alongside 18 units for second-stage transitional housing. Each unit ranges from single rooms to three-bedroom apartments.

"The vision was to develop a housing project that would allow different women from all walks of life to cohabitate and to find a place that gave them back their dignity and their sense of safety," said Diana Pizzuti, director of programs at Résidenti'elle. "Women could live with their families, their children, and single women could break their isolation, make connections, and work on their life goals."

The project offers more than housing. Support services include individual counseling, workshops in partnership with other YWCA programs—employability training, legal clinics, support groups, and art therapy—alongside round-the-clock staff. About 20 to 22 people will work on-site to provide 24/7 services.

Women began moving in as of July 1st. The Y has already received about 300 applications and will continue processing the remaining 200 over coming months.