Monk Pavilion – Old Brewery Mission

Eighteen New Homes to Help End Homelessness in the Heart of Ville-Émard

In response to the housing crisis and the growing vulnerability of people experiencing homelessness, the Old Brewery Mission is building a new permanent supportive housing pavilion directly across from Monk metro station. This project, comprising eighteen studio apartments, is conceived as a place for long-term reintegration, offering stable and dignified housing for a vulnerable population, with on-site professional support.

Funded by CMHC and the FTQ Fund, the building is constructed with a light wood-frame structure and brick cladding, combining affordability and durability. Its low carbon footprint results both from the use of wood products sourced from our forests and from its airtight, high-performance building envelope. The pavilion replaces a commercial building that had been abandoned for several years and had deteriorated beyond the point of viable reuse.

Built on a compact 50′ × 70′ double lot, the three-storey building includes four accessible studios and twelve standard studios, served by shared community spaces and laundry facilities. Each unit is equipped with a private kitchen and bathroom, promoting residents’ independence. Professional support is provided from a staff headquarters occupying two levels. A commercial space completes the project by accommodating a Renaissance donation centre at the front of the ground floor.

Attached on both sides and built directly along the sidewalk, the three-storey building integrates sensitively into the streetscape of Monk Boulevard. Its red-orange clay brick façade, classical cornice, and vertically proportioned openings recall the neighbourhood’s architectural typologies. Framed by blue glazed brick recesses, the central storefront, topped by an arched balcony, brings rhythm to the façade and animates the boulevard. At the rear, a terrace and garden opening onto the laneway encourage neighbourly interaction while helping to reduce the urban heat island effect.

Monk Pavilion embodies a humane, thoughtful, and lasting response to urban homelessness. By combining high-quality architecture, social inclusion, and sensitive urban integration, it offers a future at the heart of the community to those who need it most.