Granby

Granby is a mid-sized city in Quebec's Eastern Townships, known for its zoo, its lakes, and a slower pace than Montreal, about an hour and a half away. It's a community that leans on manufacturing and agriculture, with an average household income around $75,000, though that number hides plenty of people getting by on far less. The most recent point-in-time count for the broader Montérégie region identified over 1,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2022, and Granby, as a regional hub, sees its share of that reality even if exact local numbers are harder to pin down. Le Passage, a local organization, offers support and shelter services for those in crisis, while the Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Granby provides food assistance and basic necessities. Moisson Granby, the regional food bank, works with several agencies in town to get food to people who need it, so it's worth asking around about which days they distribute. Winters here get cold and real, so layering matters more than pride does. You're not invisible here, and there are people in this city who will treat you like you matter, because you do.