Welcome to Chez Doris’ Media Centre. This section has been designed to bring together all resources related to our organization. Here, you will find our press documents, our recent media coverage, as well as our photo gallery.
Media contacts
Marie-Pierre Grenier, Communications Director
Alexanne Raîche, Communications Coordinator
Media inquiries: 514-937-2341 ext. 252 | [email protected]
Board chairs and executive directors from 13 Montreal organizations serving women experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity unite to demand adequate funding.
This winter, Chez Doris can accommodate up to 60 women per night:
• 24 permanent places at the overnight shelter (1437 Chomedey)
• 36 additional places offered through the warming station program
The warming station has been operating since Monday, December 1 and will remain open every night
from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. until March 31, 2026, inclusively.
Montréal, November 12, 2025 — As the holiday season approaches, bringing a renewed need for human connection, Chez Doris and Quebec multidisciplinary artist Sébastien Dhavernas are proud to present In chorus for hope, a moving, multilingual reinterpretation of the beloved holiday classic Winter in Wonderland.
On the show Tout le monde en parle, Ms. Marois described the homelessness crisis in Quebec as a “humanitarian crisis.” Drawing on her firsthand visits to organizations such as Chez Doris, she highlighted the vulnerability of women living on the streets.
Quebec is announcing $28 million in emergency funding for people experiencing homelessness. Watch our Executive Director, Diane Pilote, discuss this with Erin Seize.
PSPP releases $28 million in emergency aid for the homelessness crisis.
Combating homelessness: “The funds invested are leading to concrete results on the ground.” As homelessness becomes increasingly visible in downtown Quebec City and throughout the province, our Executive Director, Diane Pilote, discusses the issue with documentary filmmaker Philippe Couture.
The baby found alone at the Notre-Dame East encampment in Montreal sheds light on a little-known reality: that of pregnant women experiencing homelessness who live in the shadows, making themselves “invisible” out of fear and a lack of trust in institutions. Watch our Executive Director, Diane Pilote, discuss this with Mario Dumont.
The discovery of an 18-month-old baby, found alive alongside a mother struggling with substance abuse at the Notre-Dame encampment in Montreal, has sparked a strong emotional response and once again highlighted the growing precariousness faced by women and young families. Listen to our Executive Director, Diane Pilote, discuss the situation with hosts Nathalie Normandeau and Luc Ferrandez.
A one-year-old child, discovered living in an encampment for unhoused people in Montreal, has been taken into the care of Quebec’s youth protection services. Watch our executive director, Diane Pilote, discuss the situation with journalist Laurence Brisson Dubreuil.
A new alliance has emerged among Montreal-based organizations that support women experiencing homelessness. According to this group, the economic model that funds shelters is flawed and requires provincial intervention to be transformed. Watch our Executive Director, Diane Pilote, discuss this with Sabrina Marandola.
A coalition is calling for more funding for women’s shelters in Quebec. Watch our executive director, Diane Pilote, discuss the issue with journalist Phil Carpenter.
An alliance of 13 organizations that provide support to homeless women is sounding the alarm and calling on the incoming provincial government to provide sustainable funding to meet demand, as shelters reach their capacity limits.
Quebec is seeing a sharp rise in the cost of services for people experiencing homelessness. Hear from Jill Hugessen, Chair of the Board of Directors at Chez Doris, as she weighs in.
Quebec organizations to receive $50 million in federal funding to curb gender-based violence.
This article from *La Presse* highlights a reality we encounter every single day: in Montreal, homelessness has become a major social emergency. Every death and every reported case is the result of a system that is completely exhausted—one that is unable to adequately address the scale of the need.
Each year, dozens of homeless women experience pregnancy on the streets, often without access to specialized resources and in dire conditions.
Organizations are calling for more places for women. And quickly. Because after one or two weeks outside, “they are already not the same person.”
Hunger, isolation, and insecurity: shelters for vulnerable women are overflowing.
Lorraine R.
Regain confidence and stability in supervised housing.
Marie L.
Women on the move: the PARRFAITES are doing valuable work.
Women’s homelessness – Chez Doris: respect and dignity.
Page 14, French newspaper.
Chez Doris women’s shelter adding emergency winter resources.
Montreal shelter sees increase in demand from homeless women.
Call for donations to cope with the cold snap: Diane Pilote from Chez Doris.
Winter coats, gloves, and tuques. Homeless shelter Chez Doris is collecting warm clothes for women experiencing financial difficulties. We’ll speak with the organization’s philanthropy director, Elise Monaghan Joubert.
Take a deep dive into our mission and discover what we accomplish every day.
Resources
Are you writing an article about Chez Doris? Feel free to use the images below to illustrate it. Click on each image to download it; they are royalty-free for media use, provided the source is credited.
Diane Pilote
My name is Diane, and I have had the privilege of building my career within major financial institutions, where I held several senior management positions. My career path has allowed me to develop strong expertise in restructuring, organizational planning, and corporate strategy. For nearly six years, I served as Senior Vice-President at Laurentian Bank, after holding vice-presidential positions at National Bank and Desjardins.
Since March 2024, I have had the immense privilege of serving as Executive Director of Chez Doris, an organization whose mission is very close to my heart. Committing myself to the well-being of women in vulnerable situations gives new meaning to my professional journey. I am proud to work alongside passionate and dedicated people, and to contribute every day to building a more just, humane, and supportive environment.
“When I arrived at Chez Doris in early summer 2025, I was in a situation I never could have imagined.
For the first time in my life, in my early sixties, I found myself homeless. After nearly twenty years in the same apartment, my landlord wanted it back. I tried to handle the situation on my own, but the pressure and the paperwork led me into debt and financial difficulties that deeply shook my confidence and dignity.
When I arrived at the day center, I kept all my personal belongings with me at all times, even my winter coat and boots, out of a very real fear of ending up on the street. This insecurity was very present at first, but little by little, I developed a sense of security and belonging, both at the day center and at the night shelter.
I am reserved by nature, but I quickly developed a great deal of trust in the staff. When the time came to look for housing, my fear of being alone was so strong that I refused the offers and wanted to stay with Doris. Together, we found a solution that suited my needs: a studio apartment in one of the residences, where I can have my own space while continuing to receive psychosocial support and access to services and activities.
Six months later, I now have a new home. I am gradually regaining my independence, stability and, above all, my dignity.”
Carole
Communications Director
Communications Coordinator
514-937-2341 ext. 252
[email protected]