About

History

Mon Shack was born from the mind of a woman deeply affected by the challenges of mental health. Indeed, when a loved one is suffering, we do everything in our power to alleviate their pain while trying not to sink into it ourselves. This is often easier said than done. That woman is me.

Over the years, it became clear that despite the efforts of various professionals (doctors, psychologists, rehabilitation centers, etc.), we were facing a lack of resources tailored to the needs of someone who wanted to be independent.

The idea took root during a conversation with a doctor. He informed me that many people faced this same situation and that there was a very specific need to address. He added, “Why not create a resource yourself? You’re capable! Take some time to think about it and get back to me.

In realizing the urgency of this situation and the multiple needs of supervised residences in mental health, I have decided to create the Shack. All this is possible with the support of the Board of Directors of an exceptional quality and the excellent mentoring of Mrs. Louise Lévesque, General of JEVI Centre de prevention du suicide – Estrie.

–  Josée Parent, founder and president

  Our Mission

Mon Shack, located in the Eastern Townships, has for mission to promote, develop, acquire, build and operate properties with the goal of offering supervised residential units and a living environment to adults living with mental health issues.

Much more than affordable supervised apartments, Mon Shack is a bilingual living environment wich will offers to his tenants :

  • Hospitality and referential services,
  • Individual and group meetings,
  • Community workshops and activities (collective kitchen, self-esteem, self-expression, budget management),
  • Personalized assistance to achieve autonomy,
  • Inclusive, energic and safe living environment,
  • A stepping stone to independence !

Our vision for recovery

Recovery is not a synonym of “clinical recovery” or of a “remedy”. Recovery is a long process while living with mental health issues, no different than someone living with a chronic condition like diabetes or asthma.

According to Boardman1, three factors are essential to recovery :

  • Hope : Hope is at the center of recovery; if you can not imagine a better future, why would you want to try to heal?
  • Taking charge of your life : solving your own problems, taking charge of your life and your future.
  • Having the potential to be part of and contribute to society, being appreciated, having access and contributing to all that society has to offer.

Hope, personal responsibility, autonomy, taking charge of your life, well-being, education and peer support are just some of the factors for recovery. Other key factors that help overcome mental health are acceptance, taking charge of your life, self-determination, control of symptoms and the support of a psychiatrist.

It doesn’t necessarily mean the end of symptoms, but it could include having a job, an apartment, and maybe a pet and good friends.

Finally, to help recovery, we believe that we must have solidarity in the fight against prejudice and the stigmatization people with mental health issues are often victims of.

Our objectives

  • Accompany people in their mental health recovery by promoting the development of their autonomy, their self-esteem and their sense of responsibility so that they can occupy a full and satisfying place in their community.
  • Alleviate the emotional distress of the people who use our services.
  • Maintain egalitarian relationships between workers and clients within established frameworks.

  • Encourage the participation of members in defining or reaffirming the mission, orientations and operating methods of the organization.
  • Establish several participatory structures to foster democratic and associative life. 1
  • Encourage society to be more tolerant towards young adults with mental health problems (educate, raise awareness, inform, and support the community).
  • Fight in solidarity against prejudice and stigmatization to promote the recovery of our tenants.

1  The participation to a community life is defined by a participation to general meetings and all democratic activities of the organization.

Why the Shack?

Because it refers to a particular place.  Because a Shack in the woods is a peaceful place. It is built little by little, in our image, that we like, and in which we find a precious source of well-being.

Mon Shack will be the place where young people with mental health problems will be able to take time rebuilding themselves with professionnal support. They will be able to built their own Shack.

What is mental health ?

Definition from the World Health Organization (WHO)

Mental health is an essential component of overall health and is defined as follows: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition implies an important corollary: mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities.

Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person can fulfill their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community. In this positive sense, mental health is the foundation of an individual’s well-being and the proper functioning of a community.

Board of Directors: Members and Roles

As part of the implementation of the provisions provided by Law 25 of the Quebec government regarding the protection of personal information in the private sector, the person responsible for complaints, personal data protection, and data management policy within the organization is M. Marc-Antoine Lapointe (President of the Board of Directors). You can contact him in the following ways:

  • By mail at the address: 3195, College Street, Office 100, Sherbrooke (Québec) J1M 0E7
  • By phone at: (819) 481-1853
  • By email at: direction@monshack.ca
team-4
Josée Parent
Founder and Director
team-2
David Plante
Administrator, Tenant at Mon Shack
team-5
Émilie Beaudet
Administrator, Former tenant at Mon Shack
team-4
Hélène Boivin
Treasurer, Accountant at Global Excel Management
team-6
Frédéric Bossé
Secretary, BI Analyst at BRP inc.
team-4
Julie Labbé
Vice President, Social worker at CIUSSS Estrie-CHUS
team-6
Marc-Antoine Lapointe
President, University student in MBA and Law
team-5
Mélodie Bibeau
Administrator