From March 23 to April 2, community organizations across Quebec are mobilising to highlight a long-standing reality: chronic underfunding.
Each week, more individuals and families are struggling to meet basic needs. As the cost of living continues to rise, and wages and public policies fail to keep pace, more people are turning to community organizations like ours for support.
At the same time, essential work continues to rely on funding that is both insufficient and unpredictable. At The Depot, public funding represents just 14% of our annual budget — far from what is needed to sustain this work.
Taking Action Together
In solidarity with 1,600 organizations across the province, The Depot hosted a letter-writing campaign to amplify community voices.
“The response was inspiring. Community partners and concerned citizens dropped in throughout the week to sign letters, participants took extra copies to bring back to their own tenant associations and advocacy groups to expand the reach of our shared message. Others sat thoughtfully, adding their own lived experiences and perspectives to each page. Every letter became a testament to the realities our communities face and the impact of chronic underfunding on the essential services we strive to provide every day.”
— Rachel Schleifer, Advocacy & Engagement Project Coordinator
By the end of the week, we hand-delivered 60 letters to our MNA, Désirée McGraw, alongside partners including Eva Marsden Centre, Women on the Rise, LogisAction, and CJE NDG.
A Call for Change
Although our missions vary — from food security and housing to employment support and services for women, families, and older adults — we are united by a shared commitment to providing care and upholding the dignity of our community.
Our MNA heard our concerns loud and clear: we need public investment now to meet urgent needs alongside long-term, structural change so that the cost of living is manageable, incomes reflect real conditions, and social supports enable people not just to survive, but to thrive.
Community organizations are at the heart of Quebec’s social fabric. When they are properly resourced, entire communities are stronger, healthier, and more resilient.