Member of the Regroupement des Auberges du Cœur du Québec

In 1987, Maison Tangente joined eight other accommodation resources to found the Regroupement des Auberges du Cœur du Québec. Today, 31 shelters from 10 regions of Quebec are brought together and work together to achieve common goals.

Maison Tangente brings all of its services in this almost century-old building on avenue Desjardins.

Maison Tangente

Located in Montreal neighborhood, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve for almost 40 years, it offers 15 accommodation spaces to young adults mixed aged from 18 to 25.

Much more than a room and board, young people who stay there find welcome, support and accompaniment. The stay, which lasts a maximum of one year, allows them to regain power over their lives: rebuilding their health, starting a project (school, training, work), learning, with respect and dignity.

We are not an end in themselves, but a link in the chain of life of these young adults. A link that will allow them, we hope, to continue their journey towards achieving their goals.

Over time

On November 1st, 1983, Maison Tangente took root in its community. One of the pioneering shelters in Quebec opens its doors wide on rue Saint-André, on the Plateau Mont-Royal. Six months later, the resource moved to the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district. At this time the stays are three weeks. This leaves little leeway with respect to the pace of each and the choice of different options that may be available to them.

In 1988, thanks to a collaboration with the SHQ, Maison Tangente acquired its own building. Following major work inside the house, we moved to 1481 Desjardins where we still lives today. We are therefore able to offer an additional service. We now have spaces in supervised apartments which allow us to extend the stay of some of our residents. A new era is beginning and the foundations of a new intervention approach are gradually being defined.

A few years later, the supervised apartments are integrated into the continuity of the stay, they become living modules. From this day, the intervention is based on a stay of up to a year, which allows residents to learn about life in an apartment while benefiting from interesting support.

In 2001, thanks to federal government funding, a new service was created: the post-accommodation monitoring. Since then, this essential element of our intervention has prevented housing loss and an inevitable return to homelessness.

In 2021, we were able to acquire a new building adjacent to the shelter. This project was carried out with the financial contribution of the Government of Canada as part of the National Housing Strategy (NHS) and with the support of the City of Montreal.

In 2022, following the renovations of 4224-26-28 Adam Street we offer 6 additional places in transitional housing 2 years. Our capacity then increases from 15 to 21 places.

Mission and values

Our mission

Our mission is to welcome, support and accompany young adults in difficulty in their progression towards autonomy (faculty to choose and act by oneself), independence (material and economic) and empowerment . And this, while respecting their values, their interests and their dignity.

Our first objective is, of course, to provide for the basic needs of our young residents. In addition, we want to create a home atmosphere where they will feel at home and will be able to cultivate a sense of belonging, a positive and supportive social environment that will promote the development of self-worth and self-esteem.

Our values

We have adopted 7 values which, in our opinion, perfectly reflect the spirit of our philosophy: Respect (for oneself, for others, for places, for the environment), Honesty, Communication, Commitment, Responsibility , Entrainde and Cooperation. It is therefore with respect for these values that we are committed to continuing our daily work.

Intervention approach and principle

Mid-life intervention
This approach leads us to compose continuously between the formal and the informal. This very special "living with" allows us to develop privileged and meaningful links with our young residents, create a place of belonging, highlighting the living together and teamwork spirits.
The global approach
This approach requires us to take into consideration the different dimensions of hosted people life. The resident is considered above all as a full-fledged citizen who is approached with respect for his person, his needs, his pace and his aspirations, taking into account the different social roles that it has to assume and the current socio-political context.
Social Affiliation
Social affiliation methods aim to create roots and landmarks that will allow our young adults to work on different dimensions of affiliation: relationship with oneself (self-confidence, development of one's potential, development, etc.); relationships with others (communicating, interacting, relating, developing meaningful links); the relationship with the community (creating links with the community, better knowing and contributing to it) and the relationship with the world (developing and exercising one's citizenship).
Harm reduction
This approach focuses on pragmatism and humanism. It aims to reduce the harmful consequences (mischief) linked to the use of substances. This allows you to reach the most vulnerable people and establishes a bond of trust that can make all the difference.