The organization Dans la rue, which has been traveling the streets of the city since 1988 to help the most vulnerable, will now drive the first vehicle in Montreal powered by renewable natural gas.

The organization officially inaugurated its new Trailer on Wednesday at Place Emmett-Johns, which was named in honor of its founder, who died in 2018.

“I think he would have liked this trailer very much. It has been reviewed and modified. It has brand new equipment. We did a lot of work to design the custom interior,” said Cécile Arbaud, general manager of Dans la rue.

The natural gas supplying the vehicle comes from the degradation of organic materials, which makes it possible to avoid methane emissions linked to their burial, while replacing fossil energy with renewable energy.

“It’s one to two full a week. We discovered that natural gas, since it is volatile, if it is cold, we can put less of it, and if it is hot, we can put more. It’s a matter of pressure,” revealed Alexandre Des Groseillers, Roulotte program coordinator.

The supply system was designed in collaboration with Énergir. The company provides the organization with fuel, in addition to ensuring the maintenance of the trailer.

“La Roulotte is a strong symbol of Montreal. We are very happy to give a helping hand to carry out this great project,” said Frédéric Krikorian, Vice-President, Sustainable Development, Public and Governmental Affairs, at Énergir.

Walk the streets

In 1988, Father Emmett Johns, nicknamed "Pops", bought a trailer, with which he visited young people in precarious situations, offering them hot dogs in particular. It was from there that he founded Dans la rue.

Since then, the organization has continued to roam the streets of the metropolis, five evenings a week, with a new iteration of its trailer.

“We try a lot, with the Roulotte, to democratize the help that the person can have,” explained Mr. Des Groseillers.

The young people met by the organization can enter the Trailer to eat their fill, and meet workers who can direct them to various help resources.

A Montreal city councilor since 2013, Sterling Downey remembers taking advantage of the organization's services when he was young, in 1988.

“I was like 14 years old, I was hanging out at Les Foufounes Electriques, when it was the Red-light district. I remember, he came, parked in a vacant lot next door in the evening, and served hot dogs, ”he recalled.

He believes that the services offered by the organization are essential for reaching young people. He himself also wanted to be present at the inauguration of the new Caravan in a personal capacity.

"I know people who have never been able to get out of it," he said. “I am one of the young people who was lucky. I could have easily found myself in the cracks of the street.”