Hamilton doctors urge city to stop breaking up encampments amid virus

Shelter health doctors in Hamilton are increasingly concerned about the spread of COVID-19 among the city's homeless population.

They also worry a recent council decision to return to the regular enforcement of urban camping prohibitions will make it harder to keep track of those who test positive for the virus.

I would like people to stay put for now," Dr. Kerry Beal, the lead physician of the Shelter Health Network, said Friday.

I'm getting many new positives each and every day," said Beal, whose organization tests people in shelters, drop-in centres and encampments for coronavirus.

But keeping track of where people end up - or convincing them to stay in isolation centres in some cases - is challenging.

We have no control. No control," Beal said, with a note of frustration in her voice.

In an abrupt move Monday, council voted to scrap an agreement with local street outreach workers and medical professionals designed to care for people sleeping in tents during the pandemic.

The protocol, in place since October 2020, made a 14-day allowance to pitch tents in public spaces, set a cap of five per group and included considerations for mental health.

Pre-pandemic enforcement - which had no formal grace period - of the city's anti-camping bylaws is to resume in roughly three weeks.

The protocol broke a legal impasse between the city and a coalition of lawyers, doctors and outreach workers who had secured a court-ordered injunction that prevented the removal of encampment residents against their will in the summer of 2020.

The coalition had pushed to stop the dismantlement of encampments - absent acceptable housing options - noting it was more difficult to provide patients with consistent, medical care if they're regularly displaced from one location to another.

For several months, some councillors have echoed constituents who have complained about a litany of problems associated with clusters of tents in parks, ranging from discarded needles to fires and violence.

The decision to end the protocol came amid increasingly inhumane and unsafe conditions" for people sleeping rough, Coun. Jason Farr also said earlier this week, pointing to the city's investments in expanded shelter spaces and hotels.

In response, Keeping Six, a small-harm reduction group, and the Hamilton Social Medicine Response Team said they were floored" by council's sudden decision" to abandon their legally negotiated obligations" under the agreement.

Repealing the protocol once again shows us that some city councillors care more about protecting property than they do about protecting human life and dignity," their joint statement read.

Just a few days before council's decision, the team responsible for conducting surveillance swabbing on homeless people - and staff that care for them - met with public health to urge the city to extend the 14-day period to four-week stays at encampments to help them monitor and vaccinate as many people as possible.

We keep going out and looking for people and the encampments are gone," Beal said.

Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk, a member of the Hamilton Social Medicine Response Team, also wrote officials to ask the city not to break up encampments due to mounting concerns of transmission.

To my knowledge, throughout this entire pandemic, public health has never taken a stance on issues regarding the health of marginalized individuals that was not directly aligned politically with the councillors," Wiwcharuk told The Spectator.

We live in a city whose public health policy on many issues is dictated by politicians, not health experts. That should be a concern for every Hamiltonian."

We are seeing people outside who have been double vaccinated who are getting the Delta variant," she said, referring to the more transmissible version of the virus.

Five of six active outbreaks in the city - and 20 of 22 outbreak-related cases - are classified as being in shelters or supportive housing.

In an emailed response Friday, public health acknowledged it can be challenging for medical professionals to follow up with people who are homeless.

Public health continues to work with all providers who may be involved with these populations and their contacts to ensure appropriate case and contact management with all positive cases."

The city funds two isolation spaces for people who are homeless and test positive for COVID-19. One is operated by Wesley Urban Ministries and the other by Good Shepherd. The city also has a number of scattered units to assist with isolating close contacts."

Public health wouldn't say how many positive cases there have been in the past month among people sleeping rough at encampments.

COVID-19 cases do occur within encampments, as has been the case for many settings in our community since the COVID-19 pandemic began," the email read.

Public health is completing case and contact management of confirmed cases, including contact tracing where possible," but added individual cases are not detailed to protect privacy.

Farr, during Wednesday's board of health meeting, defended the city's efforts to care for Hamilton's homeless population, saying they were offered vaccines early in the pandemic before any of us."

The uptake wasn't great, but we certainly made an effort," the downtown councillor said. The city also worked extensively in creating safer spaces" and help find housing for homeless people.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com