Concern over ‘escalating’ domestic violence halts Hamilton’s hotel program for homeless couples
The city has temporarily stopped accepting couples for Hamilton's hotel-based overflow shelter system amid heightened concerns over domestic violence pending a safety review.
Mission Services, which operates the program at the Four Points by Sheraton in the east end, says there have been cases of domestic violence since the agency started admitting couples in the summer of 2020.
But the problem has intensified recently, executive director Carol Cowan-Morneau said Tuesday.
It's been an escalating issue in the last two months, particularly."
During the pause on intake, the city and its agency partners plan to examine better solutions for couples experiencing homelessness, says Edward John, the city's housing services director.
In the meantime, hotel rooms will be prioritized for women while men will be encouraged to access their specialized shelters, John told reporters Tuesday.
Barring episodes of concern, the 36 couples now staying in hotel rooms can remain. Couples can also work with agencies to secure permanent housing, he said.
This existing process will allow for the consideration of safety and risk assessments for couples wishing to access that housing."
The city has worked with shelter operators like Mission Services and Good Shepherd to offer overflow services in hotels to expand permanent shelter spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Hamilton's temporary system doesn't have the resources to properly support couples for whom domestic violence is a factor, or those with serious mental-health and addiction issues, said John, who noted the city will continue pressing upper levels of governments for additional services.
Wendy Kennelly, associate executive director at Mission Services, agrees the hotel program wasn't designed for those challenges.
Domestic violence cases, in particular, can't be handled with partners staying together in a hotel room, Kennelly said. It's impossible to do that."
The agency is not only concerned about the safety of its clients, but also of staff and others in the hotel, she said.
It doesn't always happen just within the room," Kennelly said of violence. It spills out into hallways. It spills out into the elevators."
The freeze on the couples program comes as city bylaw enforcement leads the clearing of encampments from parks across Hamilton as winter weather sets in.
There's concern that couples - whether experiencing violence or not - will stick together outside rather than go to separate shelters.
There's a whole group of people who aren't going to be served because they will not want to separate," said Medora Uppal, director of operations at YWCA Hamilton.
So there is a need for a specialized service, but the resources are lacking, Uppal said.
I think the system tried to respond by doing something without necessarily having all the structures in place to actually be able to effectively support people."
Family shelters across Canada, meanwhile, have also dealt with domestic violence for years, Uppal noted.
There are models out there that could be adapted."
The review of a response for couples will draw upon advice from Indigenous partners, the Women's Housing Planning Collaborative and the violence-against-women sector, John said.
Meanwhile, a chronic shortage of beds in the women's system over many years continues while cases of violence have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is not declining. It is not staying stagnant. It is a growing problem," Uppal said.
Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com