Homeless Montreal senior died days after urgent housing request denied: coroner | CBC News

A Quebec coroner is recommending changes to how the health-care system communicates after investigating the death of a 71-year-old homeless man in Montreal. His social worker’s urgent request to find him housing last winter was denied, just two weeks before his death.

In her report released this week, coroner Mylène Servant detailed the circumstances leading up to the night of Feb. 28. That’s when the man lay down across a lane of traffic near a bus shelter in north Montreal, and was struck by a vehicle two minutes later. He died in hospital early the next morning. 

The 71-year-old, who is unidentified in the coroner’s report, had been homeless since 2023. He was hospitalized at least 96 times in 2025, mostly for issues relating to alcohol consumption, confusion, or suicidal ideation. During one visit, he explained that he consumed alcohol to keep warm or to cope with a difficult personal situation. 

Cognitive impairment was identified in his medical records within the last year of his life. On Jan. 30, 2026, his social worker at the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve CLSC submitted an urgent housing request to Santé Québec’s Mécanisme d’accès en hébergement. The social worker cited the patient’s “increasing vulnerability and the inadequacy of available measures to ensure his safety” in the request. 

The Feb. 12 response stated: “Given the absence of a formal medical assessment, the application is denied.”

Concerning issues highlighted by coroner

The coroner, Servant, took issue with how the rejection was communicated.

“The refusal of his application, without clear indication of what needed to be corrected, without an escalation mechanism and without referral to an interim solution, represents a missed opportunity to maintain coordinated care for a person with complex needs and at high risk,” she wrote in her report.

As part of her investigation, Servant found that all required documents had been submitted, and that the refusal appeared to be motivated by concerns over “the stability” of the man’s health condition.  

Servant pointed out that this discrepancy between the original written response and what she found didn’t allow the social worker to “clearly understand what needed to be corrected, completed or stabilized before a new application could be considered.”

The coroner has shared recommendations for Santé Québec Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal Universitaire, which includes the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve CLSC. Her aim is to see the pathway between its Mental Health and Addiction programs and its Support Program for the Autonomy of Seniors improved — “so that if a housing request made through the housing access mechanism is refused, the file is escalated and reviewed to ensure the user’s safety.”

Servant would also like to see follow-ups done on refused requests “to prevent a disruption in services during a residential crisis or an imminent threat to safety.”

Health authority acknowledges concerns

Santé Québec recognizes that “this death raises significant concerns.”

A spokesperson told CBC in an emailed statement that the coroner’s report and recommendations are being taken seriously. Since the findings, a reporting mechanism has been established for homeless individuals whose housing requests have been denied.

“Situations combining homelessness, addiction, mental health issues, physical health challenges, and repeated refusals of care are among the most complex the network faces,” the spokesperson wrote, while also acknowledging that the most vulnerable individuals need to be better supported.

“In cases of extreme vulnerability, we sometimes have to go beyond the usual criteria to find a suitable solution, even when the ideal location doesn’t exist.”