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One of Montreal’s longest-running homeless shelters is in dire straits.

Donations have dried up and so too has government funding. As it stands, St-Michael’s Mission barely has enough cash on hand to cover rent and payroll for the seven employees who keep the place running.

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“We’re living hand to mouth right now,” says George Greene, the shelter’s executive director. “It’s not clear how much longer we can keep going.”

Greene says St. Michael’s — also known as the Red Roof — has been hit with a perfect storm. Exceptionally cold weather forced the downtown day shelter to stay open overnight through much of the winter so homeless men and women wouldn’t freeze to death on the streets.

A few weeks back, two of the mission’s biggest donors pulled $100,000 in funding. Meanwhile, the Quebec government is diverting grants to “housing first” initiatives.

Photo by Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette

Last year, the provincial government set aside $11 million to get homeless people off the streets and into low-cost apartments in Montreal, Quebec City and the Montérégie region.