City to help people in the largest encampments find new accommodations this week

HAMILTON, ON - After focusing on assisting encampment residents with moving into emergency housing options over the past week, members of the City’s Encampment Task Force will begin enforcing the City’s encampment bylaws Thursday.

This follows a week where task force members continued their work with encampment residents to provide them with information about the options available to them. People sleeping rough in encampments were also made aware of the recent lifting of an injunction which had previously prevented the City from enforcing its bylaws.

The Task Force includes the City’s Housing Services, Municipal Licensing Enforcement, Waste Management, Mental Health, Street Outreach Services, a Social Navigator and assistance from the Hamilton Police Services.

Over the past few months, the Task Force was able to find alternative accommodation for 70 people who were living in encampment areas.

Of the 70 people who voluntarily left encampments, 20 individuals were placed in hotels, 26 were placed in shelters and 15 individuals found more permanent housing. Moving forward, the City will add enforcement measures to its education efforts to encourage people staying at encampments to seek alternative housing that is available.

The City’s Encampment Task Force will continue to work with encampment residents to find more humane housing options. Moving forward, the City will begin enforcement at Ferguson Avenue's encampment area, followed by the encampments near First Ontario Centre (FOC) and Whitehern Historic House to offer people staying there more humane housing options.

Given the size of the encampment on Ferguson Avenue, the City will be closing Ferguson between Barton and Canon starting midnight Wednesday until approximately noon Friday to allow Task Force members to conduct their work.

On Friday, the task force will be focusing its efforts on encampments near City Hall, Whitehern, and the First Ontario Centre, which still have a limited number of tents.

The lifting of the injunction and the resuming of bylaw enforcement follows an agreement with community advocates. The agreement addressed the enforcement protocol for City bylaws. It included a joint commitment to continue to engage with provincial health authorities to encourage further investments to help people with complex needs, including addictions and mental health, who need more support than municipally-funded shelters can offer.

With the emergence of COVID-19, the City of Hamilton has invested over $1 million for the operation of additional emergency shelter spaces in 2020. This is in addition to the $7.6 million budgeted in the 2020 municipal operating budget. The City has also committed to continue funding additional shelter spaces in 2021.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the City has seen an increase in the number of people sleeping rough in public spaces, including outside the First Ontario Centre, along Ferguson Avenue, and several City parks.

With the emergence of larger encampments during COVID-19, the City has incurred additional costs and staff time required for increased security, waste collection and outreach efforts. The City also recorded increased calls for service for paramedics and police.

Background

City Emergency Shelter Services
Emergency Shelter Beds

Resources Allocated in Budget: 341
Additional Resources Allocated for COVID-19: 95
Percentage Increase: 28%

City Emergency Shelter Services
Funding (Operations)

Resources Allocated in Budget: $7.6 million
Additional Resources Allocated for COVID-19: $1 million
Percentage Increase: 14%

City Services
Paramedic

Area of Service: FOC Encampment
Timeframe: April 1 to August 26
Total: 275
$ or % Increase Compared with Previous Years: 86%

City Services
Paramedic

Area of Service: Ferguson Encampment
Timeframe: July 1 to August 26
Total: 81
$ or % Increase Compared with Previous Years: 13%

City Services
Additional Waste and Security

Area of Service: FOC Encampment
Timeframe: April to August 2020
Total: N/A
$ or % Increase Compared with Previous Years: Approximately $60,000

City Services
Police Calls for Service

Area of Service: FOC
Timeframe: April to August 2020
Total: 186
$ or % Increase Compared with Previous Years: 353.66%

City Services
Police Calls for Service

Area of Service: Ferguson Avenue (Ferguson Av. North bounded by Cannon St. E/Barton St. E./Elgin Street/Cathcart Street) – contains encampment area.
Timeframe: April to August 2020
Total: 296
$ or % Increase Compared with Previous Years: 27.59%

 

Note: Police statistics courtesy of the Hamilton Police Service. Calls for service were to address a number of issues, including fires or fireworks, disturbances, theft, suspicious activity, a building or area check and calls where someone indicated they needed other forms of assistance.