Article from the Journal de Montréal. Read the article online
Athéna Quesnel-Revelakis, Outreach Street Worker at AJOI. SOURCE : AUDREY SANIKOPOULOS / AGENCE QMI
Whether she's there to help a homeless person, offer advice or lend an attentive ear, a Montreal Outreach Street Worker reveals the rudiments of her unique profession.
No sooner had Athéna Quesnel-Revelakis left the premises of Action Jeunesse de l'Ouest-de-l'Île than she was approached by two residents out on their bikes, who greeted her with a “high-five” before promptly leaving again.
The 24-year-old Quesnel-Revelakis is well known throughout the Pierrefonds-Roxboro neighborhood, where she works as a street vendor. For four years now, she has been criss-crossing her 40-kilometer-long territory to meet residents.
Whether it's a mother with three children who doesn't know where to go after losing her home, a young person who's been sexually assaulted, or simply to break someone's isolation: the Outreach Street Worker is on all fronts.
Athéna Quesnel-Revelakis is preparing a condom distribution and looking for the necessary materials in their supplies on Thursday, July 11, 2024. SOURCE : AUDREY SANIKOPOULOS / AGENCE QMI
“I like to say that my weeks are the same, but my days are not,” she admits with a chuckle, as she prepares for her final event of the day, a condom distribution.
Ready for anything
In her imposing blue backpack, the young woman is ready for anything: pregnancy tests, a first-aid kit, as well as fentanyl tests, naloxone, awareness-raising brochures, snacks, bottled water and bus tickets.
Card games are her secret weapon, however, as they're a great way to make contact.
“Sometimes, not having to look someone in the eye can soothe the situation, and they open up quietly,” she says.
Whether sitting at the local Tim Hortons, strolling through a local park, standing in front of a school or sitting in a bar where young people meet in the evening, the Outreach Street Worker is part of the scenery.
She may also organize activities such as barbecues to encourage community life and facilitate cohabitation in the neighborhood.
Creating a link
In Montreal, some 50 Outreach Street Workers roam the territory, and nearly 400 across Quebec.
“Outreach Street Workers are two-legged bundles of resources. They know their neighborhood, so they can refer the person to a specialized service because they have first established a bond of trust,” says Audrey Sirois, director of the Regroupement des organismes communautaires québécois pour le travail de rue (ROCQTR).
With the current needs in Quebec, Outreach Street Workers receive an enormous number of calls for support.
“It would take at least double the resources in each organization to be able to respond to everyone,” says Ms. Sirois.
Every year, each Outreach Street Worker has an average of 588 contacts, whether with a homeless person, the corner store or a social worker.
“It creates a safety net for the community,” says Athéna Quesnel-Revelakis, who works mainly with young people. “Anyone can need an Outreach Street Worker. The aim is to create a link. If ever there's a need that emerges, we're there and the person knows where to turn.”
Outreach Street workers, whose profession has existed for 40 years in Quebec, can at least count on funding from the Ministry of Public Safety, which has been giving money to 40 organizations in this field since January 2023 and for a renewable three-year period.
