About
Resilience
Our Story
When the Open Door day centre left the Cabot Square area in 2019, violence in the square rose and at least 14 unhoused people died in the months that followed, 10 of them Indigenous. Resilience opened that November in a rented space at 4000 Sainte-Catherine West, across from the square. During the pandemic we moved our services outdoors and ran Montreal’s first day centre in a park. In June 2026 we moved into our permanent home at 780 Atwater.
Indigenous-Led
In Montreal's 2018 count, Indigenous people made up 12% of people experiencing homelessness, but less than 1% of the population. Our board is entirely Indigenous, as is most of our intervention team, many of whom have faced the same challenges as our clients. We serve country food every Tuesday and help organize community events, including the Every Child Matters march and memorials for unhoused community members who have passed away.
What We Do
Along with meals, showers, laundry and clothing, we offer daytime naps for people who can’t sleep safely at night. Our intervention workers respond to crises and offer emotional and mental health support, and a psychologist is on site each week. They help people find housing, return to their home communities, and get government documents like ID and status cards. They also go with people to medical appointments and court, and help with the paperwork and transport to get into detox or rehab. We welcome clients in active addiction, and our wellness services are grounded in Indigenous culture and healing.
Our pre-employment programs start with our Clean Team and lead to training in our kitchen, laundry and janitorial services. Participants receive a modest stipend, gain experience, and get help connecting with employers. Community members can also volunteer with us, or complete community service and compensatory hours here.
Our New Home
780 Atwater was built around the people who use it. Elders and knowledge-keepers, clients, staff and neighbours all helped shape the design, from the healing room inspired by a Mohawk longhouse to the cedar bath and the terrace garden. Natural materials run throughout, along with antique doors and recycled wood, and rainwater from the roof is filtered and reused in the building. The space feels calm and peaceful, and in our first month here, conflicts inside the centre dropped by 80%.
Cohabitation
We planned the centre with our neighbours from the start. The food line runs inside, up to the terrace instead of along the sidewalk, and garbage is kept in a refrigerated room until pickup. Our Clean Team, mediators, hotline and overnight watch help look after the area. Neighbours who once opposed the project now tell us every neighbourhood should have one.
general@resiliencemontreal.com
438-828-8995
David Chapman
Executive Director
Co-Founder
executive.director@resiliencemontreal.com
438-828-5767
Na’kuset
Director of Development & Philanthropy
Co-Founder
Maggie
Chittspattio
Intervention,
Community Program Coordinator
Jessica
Lee
Logistics
Coordinator
(on leave)