Programs helping Hamilton's most vulnerable hit by funding shortfalls, threatening staffing and service cuts

Critical public health programs are significantly short of cash, raising concerns about cuts in service to some of the city's most vulnerable.

Healthy Babies Healthy Children has not had a funding increase from the province since 2015. The program that identifies local families at risk and provides support to them until their kids go to school has lost the equivalent of one full-time job and has a growing wait list.

Staff cuts are also proposed for the Alcohol, Drug and Gambling Services and Mental Health Outreach Program after it received no increase in provincial funding over the last year to cover inflation.

A report going to Board of Health Monday outlines how a plea for help has failed to find any extra funding for the program that works with homeless Hamiltonians experiencing mental-health and addiction issues. Councillors had voted in June to defer cutting the equivalent of 1.3 full-time jobs in hopes that $130,000 could be found to make up the shortfall.

However, staff came up empty after being turned down by Ontario Health West, Health Canada's Substance Use and Addiction Programs, the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

For Alcohol, Drug and Gambling Services, it means a decrease in the number of appointments, resulting in wait times of up to five months for first appointments and more time between followup visits.

In the Community Mental Health Promotion Program the loss of the equivalent of one full-time outreach social worker decreases access to specialized mental health and addiction services for those experiencing homelessness and complex health issues.

Councillors have expressed concern about cuts to programs that are more in demand than ever since the start of the pandemic.

Investing in maternal health, in children, in families at risk reaps considerable returns," Coun. Maureen Wilson said at the August board of health meeting regarding Healthy Babies Healthy Children. If you are not moved morally to do that then you should be moved economically."

The board sent a letter to the province in July requesting sufficient funding for the 3,481 families identified in 2021 as having risk factors.

That seemed to be falling on deaf ears," said Wilson. It's short sighted."

Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com