Hamilton council divided on encampment response, pushing for provincial funding
The city will move forward with a $1.3-million encampment strategy that initially faltered without enough political support.
In parallel, council has also directed staff to seek expert advice on how best to approach people living in tents, potentially leading to a different plan.
But city officials say they await badly needed provincial funding to adequately house and support people struggling with mental illness and addiction.
And the prospect of landing dollars for programs that bridge housing and health services doesn't look favourable at the moment, Mayor Andrea Horwath says.
My experience with the provincial government is they don't seem to have much of an interest in providing this kind of supports, whether it's here or whether it's anywhere else," the former Ontario NDP leader said.
And yet that's the order of government that needs to step up because they have the financial capacity to do so."
Horwath's call for provincial funding comes as Hamilton's new council deliberates on how best to respond to people living outside.
Initially, staff's proposal to increase housing outreach, bylaw, police and parks resources along with dedicated managers as part of an encampment strategy failed to gain enough political traction.
But last week, a second crack at the pitch passed on an 11-5 vote, while preserving previous direction to further consult with health and social-service agencies on the issue.
So hopefully that is enough of a compromise for members of this council," Coun. John-Paul Danko said in support of the $1.3-million response.
Those resources are needed to ensure safety, said Danko, noting staff are routinely chased with needles, threatened with assault and just put in an untenable, dangerous situation."
A lack of enforcement has caused disruption, including the temporary closure of the MacNab Street pedestrian tunnel downtown and delayed efforts to repair lights on the Claremont Access, he said.
For some, Danko contended, resistance to the staff recommendation seems to boil down to fundamentally ideological concerns about" bylaw enforcement and police involvement.
In response, Coun. Alex Wilson suggested $1.3 million would be better spent on housing people than responding to the symptoms of the crisis through enforcement.
I am fundamentally opposed to allocating resources to moving people around our city when they don't have that stable, safe support," Wilson added on the question of ideology."
Staff say the newly approved program, which builds on a pilot, shifts to a housing-led approach" while resources could be redirected if consultations point to a different approach.
No matter the case, a co-ordinated response to encampments will be needed, Angie Burden, general manager of healthy and safe communities, told council.
We're missing things," said Burden, who also noted staff are stretched thin. We are not achieving the integration that we need to."
As of late, about 45 people are living outside, the housing services division says, but numbers have fluctuated to around 100 depending on the season.
In recent years, tents in parks have stirred considerable debate, including when the previous council called for encampments to be cleared within 72 hours through increased bylaw enforcement.
Councillors cited a range of concerns from constituents, including debris in parks, violence, noise and fires.
Health-care and outreach workers, however, have told city hall that enforcement, absent acceptable housing or shelter options, forces people into greater isolation and peril, farther from the care they need.
Last month, delegates reiterated such concerns, pointing to the need for more housing, social supports, bathrooms and showers, and a more accessible, flexible shelter system.
This spring, staff expect to deliver reports that examine Hamilton's housing and shelter challenges with a road map" to address them.
In the meantime, the overt signs of Hamilton's ongoing homelessness crisis remain stark.
On Friday, David Allan perched himself on top of a plywood structure the city built to temporarily block access to the MacNab railway underpass where people had congregated and stored belongings.
Allan said he's regularly on the go with his belongings, adding bylaw officers give you lots of time" to move along.
But he hunkered down in the tunnel only once. It smelled like pee. I couldn't take it."
The city says safety concerns prompted the temporary closure of the passage.
Debris and evidence of drug use and illegal activity were present at this location, and maintaining cleanliness and safe access conditions presented response challenges for city staff," spokesperson Emily Trotta noted via email.
No date has been set to reopen the tunnel, she said.
Nearby, Jammy Pierre chatted with people milling about tents in an alley across from the YWCA, where she stayed at its drop-in space the night before.
What I don't understand is why this city seems so obsessed with protecting empty space rather than getting people housed," said Pierre, a member of Keeping Six.
Nonetheless, the local harm-reduction group's recent talks with the city have shown promise, she said.
Action and progress - I know that's going to take some time, but I feel that they're willing to work with us."
No word on housing pitchCity officials, meanwhile, emphasize provincial funds to offer the level of supportive housing needed to keep the most vulnerable off the street are lacking.
Since 2021, the city says it has been party to more than 60 interactions" - including emails, letters and meetings - with provincial officials on that file.
Of those, many" dealt with a $5-million-a-year pitch for a program that would house about 100 people and provide wraparound mental-health and addiction services.
In January 2022, then-mayor Fred Eisenberger publicly announced the proposal, but the city is still waiting for the province to deliver.
We haven't been told no, but we haven't been told yes, either," city manager Janette Smith told council recently.
In an emailed response, a Health Ministry spokesperson told The Spectator the proposal is being reviewed" and assessed within the context of supportive housing needs across the province."
At this time, we cannot provide a definitive timeline for a decision."
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing didn't directly respond to The Spectator's query about the pitch.
But a spokesperson said Hamilton has the flexibility to choose how to best use provincial funding for programs and services" to address homelessness.
The city has exhausted provincial pandemic-response dollars after allocating them to add shelter beds, book hotel rooms and open drop-in spaces amid a surge in homelessness, housing director Michelle Baird noted.
MPP Neil Lumsden didn't respond to a request for comment on Hamilton's $5-million proposal.
Fellow Tory MPP Donna Skelly, through her office staff, said: No one from city council has reached out to her or her office regarding this matter."
It shouldn't come as a surprise to local MPPs, who have been a focus of advocacy efforts, said Morgan Stahl, the city's director of government relations and community engagement.
I would say local provincial members have been made aware."
A new city report identifies an enormous gap" when it comes to helping people with the most complex housing needs.
For about 150 people with those challenges, there are no funded programs equipped to provide the level of supports needed to address the multitude of health and system barriers they face to securing stable housing."
What supportive housing there is in Hamilton is primarily funded by and administered through" the Health Ministry and health-care providers.
This means that the homeless-serving system does not have direct access to this essential resource for people accessing the homelessness system who present with the highest levels of acuity."
Such obstacles are frustrating," knowing that supportive housing programs across Canada have helped people with complex challenges thrive, says Katherine Kalinowski, chief operating officer for Good Shepherd Centres Hamilton.
We know it works and we need to do it, and it's not just a single model," said Kalinowski, whose social-service agency and others operate supportive housing in the city.
But it's crucial to have sustained, co-ordinated investments across sectors to ensure long-term success, she emphasized.
The fact is we're talking about people's homes and we're talking about essential supports ... so I think collaboration and intersection of housing and health cannot be overstated."
Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com
Hamilton's $5-million pitch
January 2021 to July 2021
Outreach efforts to the provincial government begin after the city, local health partners and other Hamilton institutions agree to have a unified voice" on supportive housing.
August 2021
City officials address Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark and associate minister of mental health and addictions Michael Tibollo at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference (AMO).
January 2022
The city and local health partners host a roundtable discussion" with Tibollo.
February 2022
The city's housing services division and community partners submit a formal proposal to the province for its $5-million-a-year plan to create 100 units of supportive housing.
August 2022
City officials meet with Clark, Tibollo, Minister of Health Sylvia Jones and Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy at the AMO conference. Local MPPs Donna Skelly and Neil Lumsden were present for some delegations."
September 2022 to January 2023
City staff leverage all opportunities" through AMO, Ontario Big City Mayors and the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association to advance this priority using advocacy and political channels."
Source: City of Hamilton