the freed one and her dwelling · famillelumiere.ca
The brick house of the one who survived the wolf.
Built so that other children of the DYP
can take refuge there too.
The wolf blows. Houses collapse. Except one. The brick house.
There are children growing up in the straw house — fragile, exposed, vulnerable. Children the system calls "reported". Children the DYP removes from their family, believing it protects them.
Annick Dupont was one of those children. She lived on both sides of the system. She survived the wolf.
And today, she builds the brick house — not for herself. For others.
That's it, The Velouche Dwelling. The dwelling of the freed one. Built so that the 30 families who come there never again have to choose between their child and their roof.
Maison Lumière — The Velouche Dwelling (the freed one and her dwelling) is an eco-energy family shelter in Shawinigan. 30 families at a time. Parents and children. Together.
Parents and children under the same roof. No separation. A safe, warm, eco-energy space — geothermal and solar — designed for family healing.
Psychologists, workers, therapists — 24/7. Because the wound is familial, the healing must be too. No separation. No punishment. Care.
Support toward employment, housing, independence. Maison Lumière is not an end — it's a springboard. A family that enters fragile. A family that leaves freed.
The DPF model allocates resources according to real needs — 60% in prevention, 30% in support, 10% in emergency protection. The opposite of the current system.
Universal preventive support
Available to any family, voluntary, without report or file. Parenting support, home help, family mediation, parental respite. Maison Lumière is a priority partner of this tier.
Intensive support
For vulnerable families with a co-developed support plan. Dedicated worker, max 15 cases. Goal: maintaining family bond. Refusal alone cannot trigger Tier 3.
Emergency protection
Only in cases of serious, immediate and demonstrated danger. Judicial authorization within 72 h. Family return plan established from day one. Maximum duration: 24 cumulative months.
A 55-article bill, initiated by Annick Dupont from Shawinigan, intended for the National Assembly of Quebec. It fully replaces the Youth Protection Act (YPA) with an architecture based on prevention, rights and dignity.
Every parent is presumed competent. Poverty, isolation or illness alone do not constitute sufficient grounds for intervention.
No reporting or placement decision can be based on the family's economic situation.
From the first official contact, every parent has the right to free and independent legal representation. This right is inalienable.
Appointed by a multidisciplinary committee including families who have lived through the system. Current DYP managers are excluded.
Independent body reporting to the National Assembly. Binding order powers and unrestricted access to all files.
The law explicitly names Maison Lumière and The Velouche Dwelling as priority partners of Tier 1.
An investment of 6.5 to 8.5 million dollars. A NZEB-certified building, designed to host 30 families in a therapeutic, sustainable and beautiful environment.
Net Zero Energy Building — the most demanding certification in Canada.
Heating and cooling system through ground thermal exchange — zero fossil fuel.
On-site electricity production. Complete energy autonomy in summer, near-complete in winter.
Private spaces for each family, therapeutic common spaces, shared gardens and workshops.
Social workers, psychologists, educators, support staff — all in Shawinigan.
Strong regional anchor. Model exportable to all regions of Quebec.
A citizen movement rooted in Mauricie, destined to carry legislative reform to the National Assembly. Every step is public, transparent and documented.
Filing with the Quebec Enterprise Register (REQ). Obtaining NEQ. Board of directors recruitment.
FMV, Hydro-Québec, CMHC deposits. Meetings with Femmessor Mauricie and City of Shawinigan. CRA charitable status.
Petition to the National Assembly. 5,000 signatures targeted. Official filing by a sponsoring MP.
Presentation to the National Assembly of Quebec. Public consultations. National support coalition.
Start of construction in Shawinigan. Opening of first family housing. National pilot phase.
You don't durably protect a child by breaking their family.
You protect them by saving their family.
— Annick Dupont · Founder · Maison Lumière
A model that costs the system less — and saves families. The proof is simple.
I don't have a university degree. I have something rarer — I've lived what I seek to transform.
A child taken into care by the DYP, I grew up in the system I now seek to improve. I made the journey. I found l'arrêt. I built la demeure. I am the freed one.
Maison Lumière — The Velouche Dwelling (the freed one and her dwelling) — it's the brick house I wish had been built for my family. I build it for others.
Your support directly funds family shelter, professional support and the construction of The Velouche Dwelling. Tax receipt issued for donations of $20 and more.
Tax receipt issued by Maison Lumière NPO — tax deductible in Quebec and Canada
We ask the National Assembly of Quebec to adopt the DPF law without delay — so that poverty ceases to be a reason for family separation.
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Partners, investors, media, families — we are here. Join the movement.