City councillors back new ‘encampment co-ordination team’

The city aims to improve the co-ordination of its response to encampments in Hamilton by creating three new positions to handle a growing workload.

A director will oversee the $305,000 pilot project that also involves a bylaw enforcement supervisor and a project manager under the housing services division.

The need for the encampment co-ordination team really reflects the workload" of staff resulting from an expanded need" to address the issue, Angie Burden, general manager of healthy and safety communities, said Thursday.

Hamilton has experienced a growing number of tents pitched in city parks over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a deepening homelessness crisis.

An eight-person outreach team, under the housing services division in Burden's department, is tasked with directing people to shelters and housing.

In parallel, municipal law enforcement officers, under the planning and economic development department, enforce a bylaw that prohibits camping" in city parks, which has been a lightning rod of controversy.

It's hoped the pilot, to run until the end of the year, will reduce resource impacts on existing staff," said Jason Thorne, general manager of planning and economic development.

It has caused significant strain in both of our operational areas and having to reprioritize frankly from some areas that I know are also important to council."

So far, the encampment issue's path to city politicians has been inconsistent with reports and direction flowing through various committees, although ultimately ending up at council.

For instance, earlier this week, some councillors - but not all - at planning committee heard Coun. Jason Farr's motion for enhanced" bylaw enforcement.

It really makes it challenging to have a holistic conversation and a co-ordinated response from council when have a splitting of the issue into different committees," Burden said.

Instead, encampments should have the audience of all councillors through its general issues committee, she told the emergency and community services committee.

I have found this unfortunate subject fractured at times," agreed Coun. Tom Jackson, noting he's not on the planning committee.

The new team and reporting process await final approval at council next week.

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