The target clientele consists of people (with very limited income and without insurance) who do not have access to other programs that would assist them in recovering a decent and acceptable quality of life.

Following a disaster, Soutien-O-sinistréS (SOS) delivers sorted usable items to The Salvation Army, which takes care of the distribution. The role of Soutien-O-sinistréS (SOS) fills a gap in our current assistance system, thanks to recommendations from its partners and members, the Canadian Red Cross Society (Quebec Division) and The Salvation Army.

Furthermore, Soutien-O-sinistrés (SOS) established a memorandum of understanding with participating insurers in Quebec.

Where do these essential goods come from?

Essential goods offered to underprivileged and uninsured disaster victims come from participating insurers. When a disaster occurs, insurers must frequently replace the damaged goods of policyholders. Very often, these goods can be reusable, even though they were considered a total loss because of unavailability of parts or disfigurement. Such goods are checked and cleaned by Soutien‑O‑sinistréS (SOS) partners.

We are referring to essential items like furniture, clothing and electrical appliances that Soutien-O-sinistréS (SOS) will recycle, manage and store in a warehouse in order to provide them for free to uninsured disaster victims. The Soutien-O-sinistréS (SOS) program was created by associated partners.

Allowing disadvantaged and uninsured disaster victims to quickly return to a normal life is what makes the Soutien-O-sinistréS (SOS) program so unique. Moreover, SOS has become the new social cause of the insurance industry!

Types of goods

Depending on availability, any poor and uninsured disaster victim can obtain essential furniture and clothing, such as:

Essential Items

For the kitchen:

-1 table per household
-1 chair per person
-1 bed per person, including a bedframe and a box spring
-1 dresser per person

For the living room:

-1 love seat or couch (according to the number of household members)
-1 coffee table

If available:

-Micro-wave oven
-Sound system

Clothing/bedding:

-1 set of sheets per bed
-1 bath towel and 1 washcloth per person

Clothing:

-10 items per person (ex: pants, dress, shirt(s), etc.)