OUR GOAL

Our organization advocates for the rights of women, trans and non-binary people using a feminist intersectional approach that places people aged 18 and over at the heart of their life project, by valuing their full potential and allowing them to develop their autonomy.

OUR VALUES

Respect

Consider women’s needs, choices, rights and ways of doing things.

Solidarity

Promote reciprocity, mutual support and belonging to a group with a common goal.

Recognition of women’s abilities

Encourage women to channel their strengths and take action.

Social justice

Demand equitable living conditions for everyone and act to advocate for women’s rights.

Openness

Welcome, without judgement, and show interest in the person regardless of their differences or similarities.

BACKGROUND

As a result of the work done by a committee on homelessness in the early 1980s, it was noted that the city’s existing resource centres did not meet all the needs of women in difficulty. Through their commitment to offer women who were homeless or at risk of homelessness a continuum of services, the committee noted that women had access to short-term (3 months) emergency resources, but that there was clearly a lack of medium-term (6 months to 2 years) resource centres with 24/7 psychosocial support, 365 days/year. This observation led to the establishment of Les Maisons de l’Ancre on rue Charland in Montréal in 1982.

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  • 1982

    A group home with space for 11 people was established.

  • 1984

    Les Maisons de l’Ancre create an external follow-up and housing support service.

  • 1988

    The organization moved to the Saint-Michel neighbourhood.

  • 2007

    Celebrating 25 years! Les Maisons de l’Ancre celebrated the event by launching their recipe book, created by and for the women we provide services to.

  • 2009

    The Le Voilier workshop project was born. Intervention workers set up this series of popular education workshops aiming to help women combat isolation, regain control over their lives and rebuild their self-confidence. Following an evaluation in 2017, Le Voilier became Entre-Nous, with essentially the same objectives for the women we provide services to.

  • 2013

    In December 2013, Les Maisons de l’Ancre embarked on a new partnership with Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) and set up a community support service at Habitation Pelletier for 26 women in difficulty.

  • 2019

    A new home was established for Les Maisons de l’Ancre in the Montréal-Nord neighbourhood, Habitations de l’Ancre: 2016: The property was purchased; 2017: Construction of the building began in early fall; 2018: The keys to the building were handed over to the organization in December; 2019: The first tenants moved in on January 3.

  • 2021

    Renovation of the home’s kitchen

  • 2022

    Creation of a rooftop patio at Habitations

  • 2023

    Renovation of the home’s backyard

BOARD MEMBERS

Les Maisons de l’Ancre is a not-for-profit organization run by a board made up of seven volunteer members committed to fighting to improve the living conditions of homeless women or women at risk of becoming homeless.

Coline Camier
President

Francine Blouin
Treasurer

Christine Chevalier-Caron
Administrator

Carole Boulebsol
Vice President

Chanel Gignac
Administrator

Julie Chevalier
General Director

Nathalie Carrénard
Secretary

Irina Badita
Administrator

Annual reports

To find out more about our organization, download our latest annual report.

AR 2023

AR 2022

AR 2021

PRESS RELEASES

Download the press release by the Partenariat de prévention et de lutte à l’itinérance des femmes (Partnership to prevent and fight homelessness among women), Femmes et itinérance en 2022 (available in French only).

Download

Service statement for victims of criminal offences

Download

LES MAISONS DE L’ANCRE ARE MEMBERS OF