Name

SPECTRE DE RUE INC.

Legal name

Spectre de Rue Inc.

Website

https://spectrederue.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Harm Reduction and Community Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid) (BPADADAH), Attendance, Engagement & Truancy Intervention Services (EDAJAIAI)

Keywords

• Harm reduction services
• Supervised consumption
• Substance verification
• Transitional housing
• Youth employment

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Public Funding: Primary revenue source from federal, provincial, and municipal government grants. Includes public health funding for harm reduction programs, supervised consumption services, and housing initiatives. Spectre de Rue holds legal exemption for its supervised consumption room and relies on public funding for core operations. As of 2026, a grant ending caused reduced operating hours for the SCS program.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations solicited via the CanadaHelps platform and in-house fundraising campaigns. Tax receipts issued for donations. Donation tiers illustrated: $25 for one-on-one support, $50 for hygiene kit, $120 for two TAPAJ participant allowances.
3. Community Events and Fundraising Activities: Revenue generated from fundraising events such as the Punk et Paillettes cabaret (ticket sales), silent auctions, and annual fundraising soirées. Ticket pricing includes regular ($50) and nonprofit ($25) rates. All funds go directly to prevention programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Spectre de Rue is a non-profit community organization that delivers free harm reduction services in Montreal's Centre-Sud neighborhood, including a supervised consumption service (SCS), free anonymous substance verification using FTIR spectroscopy, street-based outreach, transitional housing for youth aged 18-30, and the TAPAJ paid daily employment program for youth aged 16-30. All services are provided free of charge to clients and funded through government grants, donations, and fundraising events.

Product overview

Spectre de Rue Inc. is a non-profit harm reduction organization founded in 1986 operating in Montreal's Centre-Sud neighborhood. Rather than a unified software product, the organization offers a portfolio of social service programs that together form its service ecosystem. These include the Site fixe and Service de consommation supervisée (SCS) for supervised consumption and harm reduction support; the Service de vérification de substances (SVS) using FTIR analysis technology for substance verification; the Travail de rue and Projet pairs aidant.e.s for street-based outreach and peer support; the TAPAJ employment program for youth; and the Logements Le perron transitional housing project. The organization also offers community liaison services and public training programs. All services are delivered through a humanist, harm reduction approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAPAJ: Travail alternatif payé à la journée - A youth employment program supporting young people aged 16-30 in precarious situations through paid daily work community service.
• Site fixe et SCS
• SVS - Service de vérification de substances
• Travail de rue
• Projet pairs aidant.e.s
• Le perron

Products and services

• Site fixe (Fixed Site) and Service de consommation supervisée (SCS) A fixed-site harm reduction facility providing supervised drug consumption, free distribution of safe consumption and safer sex materials, psychosocial support, and referrals 7 days per week. Staffed by a multidisciplinary team of nurses, practitioners, and peer support workers. Mission is prevention of STBBIs (HIV, HCV) and overdose.
• Service de vérification de substances (SVS) Free, anonymous, and confidential substance verification service using FTIR spectroscopy, reagent strips, and colorimetry to help people identify what is in their substances and make informed decisions. Available Monday to Sunday from 8h30 to 15h at 1278 Ontario East, with confirmation of results partnered through Health Canada's drug analysis service.
• Travail de rue (Street Work) Street-based harm reduction intervention using a humanist and pragmatic approach. Practitioners build meaningful trusting relationships with people in their living environments and accompany them in daily life. Includes three specialized branches: Generalist, Youth (ages 12-25), and Sex Work.
• Projet pairs aidant.e.s (Peer Support Project) Employs people with lived experience of substance use and/or homelessness to walk the Centre-Sud neighbourhood, meeting people who use psychoactive substances to offer support, listening, and referrals. Three branches: (Dé)pisteur (Screener), Youth, and Overdose Prevention.
• TAPAJ (Travail alternatif payé à la journée) Paid alternative daily work program supporting young people aged 16-30 in situations of great precarity. Two components: immediate economic assistance via day-paid work, and structured work experience with weekly pay. Includes job coaching, resume/interview preparation, and 12+ employer partnerships across Montreal boroughs.
• Logements Le perron (Transitional Housing) 22 transitional housing units (up to 5 years) with community support for young adults aged 18-30 experiencing residential instability. Located at 805 Ontario Est. Includes personalized support, psychosocial follow-up, and a harm reduction approach within the housing environment.
• Travail de milieu (Community Work) Community-based work addressing issues affecting service users and the Centre-Sud neighbourhood, including recovery of used consumption equipment, cohabitation support, social reintegration, and mediation. Also manages the Le Pommier network of solidarity merchants offering basic services to vulnerable people.
• Liaison communautaire (Community Liaison) Ensures the link between Spectre de Rue and the community. Contributes to the visibility and influence of the organization in line with its mission. Organizes events, manages social media, and handles internal and external information liaison.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 units of transitional housing for youth aged 18-30 delivered (Le perron, opened December 2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Santé Canada - Service d'analyse des droguescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Partnership with Health Canada's drug analysis service to support confirmation of substance verification results and analysis of concerning or unusual samples. This is a critical quality assurance partnership for the Substance Verification Service (SVS).
• Arrondissement du Plateau-Mont-RoyalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Municipal borough partner for TAPAJ employment program. Provides work sites and employer relationships for youth participants in the program.
• Arrondissement Ville-MariecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Municipal borough partner for TAPAJ employment program and broader harm reduction initiatives. Provides work sites and collaborative support for outreach activities.
• La Ferme à RogerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024TAPAJ employer partner providing work plates for youth in precarious situations. Featured on Spectre de Rue's site as a model employer partner.
• Cirque Hors-PisteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024TAPAJ employer partner providing artistic and cultural work opportunities for youth participants.
• Collectif POM – Petites Oeuvres MultimédiaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024TAPAJ employer partner providing multimedia work opportunities for youth participants.
• La SoverdiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024TAPAJ employer partner providing urban greening and environmental work opportunities for youth.
• Sentier UrbainminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024TAPAJ employer partner and event co-organizer (Earth Day Blitz). Provides urban greening work opportunities for youth participants.
• Société du Boulevard St-LaurentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024TAPAJ employer partner providing urban maintenance work opportunities for youth participants.
• DopaminecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborated on the official 2013 submission for Supervised Injection Services (SIS) alongside CACTUS Montréal and L'Anonyme. Ongoing harm reduction collaboration.
• CACTUS MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-applicant on the 2013 SIS project submission. Collaborative relationship in harm reduction and supervised consumption services in Montreal.
• L'AnonymecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-applicant on the 2013 SIS project submission. Ongoing collaborative partner in Montreal's harm reduction ecosystem.
• Société écocitoyenne de MontréalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Event co-organizer for Earth Day activities and Blitz neighborhood cleanup. Collaborative community partner in Centre-Sud environmental initiatives.
• ExekominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Event co-organizer for Earth Day activities in the Centre-Sud neighbourhood. Partner in community engagement and inclusion initiatives.
• Entraide (Entremise)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Event co-organizer and partner through the Escale circulaire project. Provides circular economy work and community integration opportunities.
• Quartier des spectacles de MontréalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Event co-organizer for Earth Day activities. Collaborative partner in community engagement and cultural programming.
• BAnQ (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Event co-organizer for Earth Day activities. Collaborative community partner in Centre-Sud.
• Table de concertation du faubourg Saint-LaurentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Event co-organizer for Earth Day Blitz activities. Community table partner in the Faubourg Saint-Laurent area.
• RAPSIM, L'Anonyme, CACTUS Montréal, Dopamine, TOMS, GRIP, AIDQ, COCQ-SIDA, ROCQTR, ATTRueQcoreOthers · 1 January 2024Listed as useful reference partners and resources on Spectre de Rue's references page. Represent Montreal and Quebec's harm reduction, ITSS prevention, and social service ecosystem.
• Defund la police collectiveminorOthers · 1 January 2024Since 2022, Spectre de Rue is a member of the 'Defund la police' collective, signaling its political positioning on policing and community-based alternatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CACTUS Montréal: CACTUS Montréal is a Montreal harm reduction organization that, like Spectre de Rue, provides supervised injection services, drug-checking, and outreach to people who use drugs. It was a co-applicant with Spectre de Rue on the 2013 SIS project and serves a directly overlapping client base in Montreal.
• L'Anonyme: L'Anonyme is a Montreal harm reduction and drug-checking organization that operates a supervised consumption service similar to Spectre de Rue's SCS. It was also a 2013 SIS co-applicant with Spectre de Rue, CACTUS, and Dopamine, and addresses the same populations in the same city.
• Dopamine: Dopamine is a Quebec harm reduction organization for people who use drugs and a co-applicant with Spectre de Rue on the 2013 SIS submission. It overlaps directly in mission, target population, and Montreal/Quebec service geography.
• RAPSIM: RAPSIM is a Montreal-based network and advocacy organization for housing and harm reduction services for people with mental health and substance use issues. It addresses the same client population as Spectre de Rue and is listed as a direct partner in the harm-reduction ecosystem.
• AQPSUD: AQPSUD is the Quebec association for the promotion of drug users' health, a peer-led organization working on harm reduction and drug-user rights. It overlaps with Spectre de Rue's peer-support and harm-reduction mandate and serves similar populations across Quebec.

Broad incumbents

• AIDQ: AIDQ is the Quebec association for intervention in dependencies and overdose prevention. It is a sector-level body that addresses the same overdose and substance use issues Spectre de Rue works on at the program level, and is listed as a partner in Spectre de Rue's reference network.
• COCQ-SIDA: COCQ-SIDA is the Quebec coalition of HIV/AIDS community organizations. Spectre de Rue's STBBI prevention work and partnerships overlap with COCQ-SIDA's network, but COCQ-SIDA operates at a provincial advocacy and coordination level rather than as a single direct-service site.

Regional players

• PHS Community Services (Insite): PHS Community Services operates Insite, North America's first supervised injection site, in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. It is the most comparable supervised consumption and harm reduction operator in Canada, but is geographically separated from Spectre de Rue's Montreal base.
• Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation / Dr. Peter Centre: The Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver provides supervised injection and wraparound care for people living with HIV and substance use issues. It is a comparable harm reduction + wraparound services operator, but operates on the West Coast rather than in Quebec.

Others

• YMCA Québec (Montréal): YMCA Montréal offers youth employment support, transitional housing, and community programming in the same neighborhoods as Spectre de Rue's TAPAJ and Le perron programs. It is not a direct harm-reduction peer, but its youth housing and employment services overlap meaningfully with Spectre de Rue's youth programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@spectrederue1738
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpectrederueMtl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spectre-de-rue
• Instagraminstagram.com/spectre.de.rue

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SPECTRE DE RUE INC.