Still no site, Hamilton tiny cabins remain ‘work in progress’

Out of site, but not mind. That could be the motto of an ongoing grassroots effort to establish a tiny cabin community in Hamilton.

For months, the group has searched for a place to build the village of pint-sized homes to shelter people from the streets.

And finding a location before winter is crucial, says the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS).

So at this point, it's a work in progress, but we feel more than ever there's a need for the project," Ed Fothergill, a HATS volunteer, told councillors Thursday.

Fothergill, who is a planning consultant, joined other HATS organizers in updating city politicians on the initiative that's meant to bridge gaps between the street, shelters and permanent housing.

Early this year, HATS had its eye on the downtown location of former high school - Sir John A. Macdonald - but ran into political resistance, zoning hurdles and demolition plans.

Since then, the search for other sites has been challenging, Fothergill told The Spectator.

Contamination ruled out one location. Busy roads posed safety hazards at another. Elsewhere, backyards were too close. So, it's just been one thing after another."

City staff have been terrific," added Tom Cooper, a HATS organizer who also leads the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

But I think we need the political will, as well."

HATS aims to erect at least 10 insulated, eight-by-10-feet cabins outfitted with lighting, heat and a fire extinguisher.

Each would have a small fridge and microwave. The idea is to have bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities on-site.

The volunteer group, which has asked for a $100,000 city contribution, aims to offer safety, dignity and paths to housing stability amid a homelessness crisis.

As of March, Hamilton's byname list of people who accessed shelters or other services that help those experiencing homelessness numbered 1,596, according to latest available city count.

But not everyone stays in shelters, for a variety of reasons, ranging from fear of theft, to drug dependencies, or not wanting to separate from a partner.

At times during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people living in tents in parks hovered around 100, but the city's latest report, which overlaps with a period of expedited bylaw enforcement, notes staff know of 30.

Justine O'Donnell found a wooded area near Highway 403 to set up camp. She says she spent the winter outside, bouncing from park to park, as authorities moved her along.

There's a reason, obviously, why we're living outside," O'Donnell said. A lot of people have mental-health problems."

There are many vacant buildings where the city could let people live, O'Donnell suggests.

But I guess they just don't look at it the way that we do - you know, running water and a bed."

HATS, meanwhile, has drawn inspiration from A Better Tent City, a community of 43 tiny cabins in Kitchener on land shared by the city and public school board.

There are similar initiatives in Canada and in the United States that have proven effective in helping people transition to permanent housing, notes Bill Johnston, another HATS volunteer.

There isn't a single model. People are doing it in different ways," said Johnston, who authored a 100-page paper on the topic.

A survey of 36 local people with lived experience shows considerable interest in tiny cabins, says Tony D'Amato Stortz, a former A Better Tent City site supervisor who supports the Hamilton effort.

They wanted their own space, to be able to lock a door behind them and, in some cases, not part from a pet or partner.

For a lot of these folks, safety is in community," D'Amato Stortz told The Spectator.

The interviewees also wanted access to support services, including for mental health and addictions.

To this end, Wesley Urban Ministries has committed to providing two intensive case managers to support potential residents.

We believe that homelessness is solvable, particularly in this nation," said Don Seymour, Wesley's executive director.

In many cases, chronic homelessness boils down to a lack of adequate health services needed to help keep people housed, Seymour pointed out.

In January, representatives from a variety of local institutions, including the city and hospitals, made a $5-million pitch for provincial funding for a project that would couple health services to support roughly 100 people in housing units.

So far, the city hasn't been able to secure those dollars, says Angie Burden, general manager of healthy and safe communities.

Yes, we need inventory for housing, but we have to ensure that the services and supports that we are wrapping around individuals who are interested in housing are adequate to meet their needs so that their tenancy and ability to retain that housing is successful."

Coun. Brad Clark, who heard the HATS presentation Thursday, considers a tiny cabin community one more housing opportunity on the continuum of housing" with wraparound services.

But the clock is ticking on finding a site as this council term draws to a close, Clark notes.

Short of there being an agreement on a property, whether or not it's private or city-owned, I don't see this happening this year."

HATS knows this is a possibility and wants candidates in the Oct. 24 municipal election to know the homelessness crisis will persist into the next term, Johnston suggests. That it's not going away."

Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com