The homeless were harshly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of whom take refuge in Montréal metro stations. To provide more effective help to this group of the population who live in extremely precarious conditions, the new Metro Intervention and Concertation Team (EMIC) was launched in November 2020.
EMIC is a mixed team, which includes an SPVM police officer, an inspector with the Société de transport de Montréal and a social worker from the Société de développement social. Together they patrol the metro network to go and meet persons in need and direct them to the right resources. The aim is to offer them services adapted to their situation, whilst respecting their wishes and capacities.
EMIC intervenes in the metro to address concrete needs and works in conjunction with other existing multidisciplinary teams, such as the Mobile Reference and Intervention Team for the Homeless.
The Info-Crime Montréal organization made a generous contribution of $12,000 to set up EMIC. We are highly grateful for this contribution which helped purchase equipment for the team members, such as nitrile gloves and contactless thermometers. It also made possible the purchase of clothing, food, heat packs and other similar items to facilitate EMIC’s approach to its clients.
To find our more about EMIC, please watch this video online on the SVPM website.
