The Man with Glasses restores sight to marginalized populations

Popularized by the biggest luxury brands as a fashion accessory in its own right, eyeglasses can reach stratospheric prices. In order to improve access to what nevertheless remains an essential health system, including for people without status, the Bonhomme à Glettes has been regularly touring community organizations in Montreal for 17 years. Report.

In the hall of Fourchette de l'Espoir, a social economy company located in Montréal-Nord, two opticians with dozens of pairs of glasses neatly arranged in their cases advise their customers. “We come here every Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; anyone can come; anyone can come, you just need a prescription,” explains Mathieu, one of the 25 opticians employed by Le Bonhomme à Glettes.

A little further on, several people wait patiently for their turn, while new customers take their seats in the line. In one hour, a dozen of them picked or picked up their pair. But why do they all come here instead of going to a traditional eyewear store?

“It costs me twice as much”

Round or rectangular, black or colored, made of metal or plastic, all these glasses place the customer in front of an almost cornelian choice. The young man who tries on pairs no longer seems to know where to turn. Fortunately, his aunt accompanies him and advises him. She was the one who told him about the guy with glasses.

“I am the mother of three children, two of whom wear glasses, and I have glasses myself. I come here because it costs me twice as much! Especially since kids tend to lose them or break them, so it was a big budget every year. With inflation, I prefer to keep this money for something else. So, I realized that I had to find an alternative. Since I set foot here, I haven't been going anywhere else for three years,” says Aïcha, a teacher of Moroccan origin who has lived in Montréal-Nord for over a quarter of a century.

The Bespectacled Man saves him several hundred dollars each year, which his family can spend on other essential needs, such as groceries, clothing, and extracurricular activities.

Especially since Aïcha does not benefit, like many Montrealers, from group health insurance. “As teachers, the government system does not allow us to benefit from health insurance, and RAMQ coverage is clearly insufficient for the price that is requested in traditional stores. Here, the opticians are not trying to sell us the most expensive pair or options that we don't need,” says the 50-year-old. Thanks to her, her nephew will only get about a hundred dollars, compared to $300 spent on his previous frame.

Dany is also a teacher. With her blonde hair that falls elegantly over her shoulders, her trendy glasses on her nose and her freckles on her cheeks, we give her much less than her age. The one who is nearing retirement is also a regular in The Man with Glasses.

“In summer, when school is closed, I run into unemployment. So I'm careful with my money, I Checke I compare the prices with flyers... Before, I paid at least $650 for a pair of progressive glasses, here it's $300! Clearly, this is the kind of savings that will allow me to enjoy my summer despite everything,” says the woman who has lived in Montréal-Nord for 10 years.

At a time when housing has never been more expensive and where finding a job is more and more difficult, health care has become a luxury for an increasingly large part of the population. This observation is all the more pronounced for everything related to vision and dental care, which are among the most poorly taken care of.

People without status, social assistance recipients — pairs from 0 to 20$

Making eyeglasses accessible to all budgets has been the credo of Le Bonhomme à Glassettes since its creation in 2007. While it is aimed at everyone, it targets in particular people in precarious situations. Among them, immigrants without status are among the most at risk of living without glasses due to lack of money or information.

“For social assistance recipients, we offer free pairs of glasses for children, and $20 for adults. Of course, if they want specific options, such as darkening glasses or the like, that increases the price,” says Mathieu, one of the two opticians present that day in the hall of Fourchette de l'Espoir.

The Better See for Success program, from the Régie de l'assurance adie du Québec (RAMQ), also offers a reimbursement of $300 every two years on glasses or contact lenses to all young people under 18. “With the prices we use, this allows each child to have three pairs instead of one or for parents to keep the rest of the money for other expenses,” rejoices Philippe Rochette.

Having set himself the goal of reaching all populations, Le Bonhomme à Glettes also visits organizations working with immigrants. “For refugees or asylum seekers, all we need is the famous “brown paper” [name given to the asylum seeker's document (DDA), editor's note] to allow them to access federal aid. That way, we can offer them fully supported glasses,” he explains.

“We offer the same services as in traditional stores, except that we are mobile and have a community vocation. “Mobile” means that we travel with our store rolling out to 75 service points in and around Montreal. The other important difference is that we have no sales goals, contrary to what I may have known elsewhere as an optician. We are simply looking for what will be best suited to everyone's needs”, assures Mathieu.

It is this community aspect that allows the 30-year-old to “feel useful and to put meaning” at the heart of his job. Like Mathieu, 25 opticians have made the choice to join this company like no other. Because, contrary to what one might think, Le Bonhomme à Glettes is not officially a community organization. It is indeed a for-profit company.

Over $150,000 paid to community actors each year

“I wanted to find a way to use my qualification as an optician to help others.” As you can see, Philippe Rochette is not a businessman like the others. He made the unusual choice not to adopt a strategy based on the race for profit. Seventeen years after the creation of Le Bonhomme à Glassettes, he rose to the challenge brilliantly.

Behind a lagoon green eye that no pair of glasses hides a 49-year-old Montrealer, father of two young girls to whom he wants to transmit his values.

“I was born into a single-parent family; with a father who left me penniless, my mom, my sister and me. Today, I have the luxury of being able to make a very good living from my job, while respecting my values. It is also, I think, what my employees like, who I pay well and who do not have a sales objective. I have a very good retention rate,” he explains. But how does it manage to offer such prices while making a profit?

There is no miracle recipe, Philippe Rochette has decided on all expenses. The hundreds of pairs of glasses offered to customers follow the trends, but none are designer. There are no luxury brands here. “I did everything by myself for the first four years, and since 2007, I've always been using the same prices, inflation or not. We travel to organizations that lend us their premises; therefore, we do not have rental fees. We also don't do advertising or marketing, and we work with suppliers on volumes. It doesn't get more complicated than that and it works! ” enthuses the company manager.

A qualified optician, passionate about cinema and a tennis fan, Philippe Rochette has always volunteered. To follow through with his idea, he also donates part of his profits to the 75 community organizations that host the service points. Since its creation, Le Bonhomme à Lunettes has donated nearly $1.5 million to the community community, or approximately $150,000 each year. These funds are more than welcome when you know how it is becoming more and more difficult to find grants for these essential actors.

“It's a win-win system! Today, organizations are asking us to come to them,” concludes Philippe Rochette. This is proof, if any were needed, that on the fringes of capitalism, the social economy is capable of initiating a virtuous circle.

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