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The History of the Drop In Resource Centre

In the early nineties, ACCM offered its clients a service called the Depot. The Depot was located on Montcalm Street in a large gutted garage that contained clothing, small appliances, dishes, jewelry, knick-knacks and other sundries that cash-strapped clients could access by appointment or by dropping by. Members of ACCM would gather at the Depot to sort, clean and organize donations (many came from ACCM clients that had passed away) and receive members in need of useful household items. In mid-1995, after having noticed the decline in demand for this service, it was decided that the Depot service be discontinued. By this time, however, many had become used to having a place to go to meet other members and enjoyed the coffee that was always brewing at the Depot.

ACCM recognized the value of having a place for members to congregate in a safe, non-judgmental space, that having a place for PHAs to go helped break the isolation that many members felt and by August 1995, the Drop In was born. In November 1995, the ACCM head office, previously located on St. Jacques St., moved into what had been the other half of the Depot. The Drop In and the office shared the space until April 1996, when the cost of heating the old garage became impossible and terrifically expensive. Luckily, the City of Montreal was offering space to community groups at vastly reduced prices not far away.

In May 1996, ACCM moved to the Drop In Resource Centre’s current location. The Drop In itself was confined to the living room area, as what is now the smoking lounge, quiet room, kitchen and back office was occupied by other ACCM departments. At this time, the Drop In received no funding, aside from a small amount of petty cash with which to buy coffee and treats. Thus, the Drop In began a tradition of Garage Sale fundraisers in order to fund a small amount of groceries and be able to "fix up the house".

By December 1996, space had become available in the main building and the office moved again, freeing up all but the back office space for the use of the Drop In. As well, the Farha Foundation began providing $60.00 per month for food at the Centre. By 1997 in became clear that the Centre desperately needed a kitchen. The Centre had no kitchen facilities whatsoever, and for the first two and a half years, dishes were washed in the tub or in a bucket! With the growing popularity of the Drop In and a real need for food resources, ACCM applied to what was then Glaxo-Wellcome Pharmaceuticals for money to build a kitchen in what had been the Social Services office. Over the course of almost two years, after installing both plumbing and electricity, combing the city for donations of cupboards, sinks, and appliances, the kitchen was built and then launched in May 1999.

Earlier on, in October 1998, another milestone occurred: for the first time, the Drop In Director became paid staff, with two days a week funding provided from the Volunteer Coordination budget. It was during this time that ACCM recognized the growing importance of the work that was being done at the Drop In Resource Centre, with many clients expressing the feeling that the Centre had become a "home away from home" for them. The City of Montreal asked the community groups to relocate to 2075 Plessis. ACCM faced a big decision: leave the Drop In Resource Centre where it was or move it into the basement of 2075 Plessis, to once again co-exist alongside the office. Clients and volunteers of the Drop In came together to express their desire to stay where they were, despite concerns about the separation of the head office and the Centre and what problems might follow. The feelings and commitment of the members of the Centre were respected and the head office moved to 2075 Plessis in the spring of 1999, solo.

In that same year, after having applied to Health Canada, the Drop In Resource Centre began being funded on a regular basis through the ACAP Health Promotion budget. This continues to be the core funding of the Drop In Resource Centre today.