Hamilton shelters face ‘plethora of issues,’ councillor says

The city plans to develop a formal process for Hamilton shelter users to lodge complaints.

But operators say resolving them will have to involve addressing an underfunded and overburdened shelter system.

I think there are far too many expectations that are being placed on shelters," says Carol Cowan-Morneau, executive director of Mission Services.

The only way that we could respond differently than what we're currently doing is if we had far more resources."

Shelters, which are increasingly tasked with complex challenges such as responding to overdoses and mental-health crises, need more support from the health sector, Cowan-Morneau says.

Shelters are the catch-all for everything that everybody else is not able to do."

This week, council asked the city's housing services staff to draft a formal process to handle complaints.

Beefs about conditions or treatment in the shelter system make their way to the city, which, as Hamilton's service manager, dispenses millions in funding to agencies every year.

But there should be a formal process to respond to complaints, Coun. Brad Clark said.

We have heard numerous anecdotal stories about challenges within the shelter system."

They suggest a plethora of issues," ranging from violence to theft," pushes people to pitch tents in parks instead.

The documented complaints could serve as data to help inform city staff's ongoing review of the shelter system, Clark added.

The city has increased Hamilton's shelter system to about 600 spaces over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to respond to increased demands. During the same period, encampments in parks became more prominent with shelters in outbreak or at capacity during an era of skyrocketing housing costs.

Some avoid shelters for a number of reasons, including fear of theft or violence, an inability to cope with congregate settings due to mental illness or an inability to follow rules due to drug dependencies. Others are unwilling to separate from partners or leave behind pets. Others still can be barred for spells, or service-restricted, due to behavioural issues.

But that is a last resort for the most severe circumstances, Cowan-Morneau says. Generally, they're about violence. We try not to restrict people at all."

Staff pay and levels - limited by provincial funding and legislation alike - are too low for the daunting duties workers regularly face, Cowan-Morneau adds. So many are health issues: mental and physical health and addictions."

They can take staff away from core functions, which include helping clients find housing, she says.

Outside the Salvation Army men's shelter on York Boulevard, Derek Baptiste expressed frustration at staff's lack of progress in helping him secure housing after nearly a month.

I want to get a place. This is not for me. This is not my life," said Baptiste, 54.

High rents put many places out of reach, said Baptiste, who relies on a disability pension. But shelter staff also need more resources" to do their job, he acknowledged.

Paul Vaillancourt, who is also looking for housing, noted anxiety over losing his bed if he doesn't make it back on time at night after visiting family or working late.

So I have that constant worry on my shoulders, said Vaillancourt, 48, who is a carpenter.

In an emailed statement, the Salvation Army said it is looking forward to learning more" about the city's forthcoming complaint process and is always open to new ideas with regards to providing hope to the most vulnerable in the city."

Olivia Mancini, a social worker with experience in local shelters, said unhoused people have long articulated the barriers to shelter.

Shelters must place a greater emphasis on harm reduction, including the ability to distribute and store supplies, as well as allowing residents to use drugs on-site without being penalized, Mancini said.

I think that sending someone out onto the streets after they use drugs also can be dangerous because they're under the influence of a substance."

Mancini, the local AIDS Network and Keeping Six - which is a small outreach organization - are inviting operators, front-line workers, advocates and those with lived experience to a discussion on May 11 to explore improvements for shelters.

We're hoping that we can create some lasting systemic change that's born out of the experiences of people that are using services."

There is room for improvement, says Katherine Kalinowski, chief operating officer of Good Shepherd in Hamilton.

I don't take exception to the notion that sometimes people are not having their needs met or are finding challenges in accessing shelter."

There are powerful arguments" that suggest extremely low-barrier and harm-reduction-focused programs" in shelters would help many people, Kalinowski said.

So we need to have systems that respond to that, and I don't think that we have done that necessarily in an organized, effective way in this community."

But ultimately housing with an array of support services should be the goal, she added. At the end of the day, we should be looking at shelters as short, temporary and hopefully, not frequent destinations for people."

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