Shelter Beds and Sanctioned Site Recommended in Ward 2
City staff have released a report detailing their plans to phase in 192 new permanent shelter beds and to erect an 80 bed temporary sanctioned site for those experiencing homelessness on the Barton-Tiffany lands in the Central neighbourhood.
The report recommends that Council approve City staff’s recommendations to do the following -
Phase in the creation of 192 new permanent shelter beds - at a cost of around $7.4m per year from the Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap Reserve and from the City’s 2025 budget (ongoing funding); for details of the locations and numbers of beds per facility please read the City staff report (28% of the beds will be in Ward 2, and 78% in Ward 3)
Build an outdoor temporary shelter or sanctioned site with 80 beds on the Barton-Tiffany lands - at a cost of around $4m per year from the Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap Reserve and from the City’s 2025 budget (ongoing funding)
Hire 7 full time City staff to support this work - at a cost of around $800k per year from the Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap Reserve and from the City’s 2025 budget (ongoing funding)
Based on this preliminary report, which outlines between $12.1m and $13.2m in total annual costs (see the report for exact amounts), City staff have a plan to ensure the Barton-Tiffany lands can be used safely (considering they were a former industrial site and are contaminated); are making efforts to provide resources to women, gender diverse folks, couples, and people with pets; and are treating the sanctioned site as a temporary option. This will also see an even split of the total 272 new beds - 192 shelter beds and 80 beds at the sanctioned site - between Wards 2 and 3 where the majority of encampments currently exist.
As part of erecting a sanctioned encampment site at Barton-Tiffany, City staff are also recommending -
Reducing the concentration of encampment areas in a single neighbourhood in Ward 2 - at present, the largest number of encampments in Hamilton are located in Ward 2 and many of those are in the North End and north Central neighbourhoods; City staff are recommending encampments not be permitted in Bayfront Park, Central Park, and Pier 4 Park to limit the concentration of encampments in the Central and North End neighbourhoods - there will still be areas elsewhere in Ward 2 where encampments can be erected in public spaces, as provided for through Provincial (case) law, as there will not be enough spaces in the sanctioned site for everyone who will still be forced to live outside
Keeping the existing Encampment Protocol in place for those who will not be able to access the new shelter beds or spaces at the sanctioned encampment site - while the solutions proposed by City staff will help some residents deprived of housing, the combined 272 shelter and sanctioned site beds will not meet the needs of the nearly 2,000 people in our city who have been deprived of housing (this number does not include those the City has not connected with, so it is likely somewhat higher)
This report is the first step in approving the funding for these plans and starting the work related to them. That means we don’t yet have a full picture of the operating model for the sanctioned site. Council will start by approving the funding and then will receive further information on the details as they become available through monthly reports.
I know that everyone wants more information, myself included, but we’re working on a tight timeline and need to do this in steps, and quickly, to ensure additional services are provided in time for winter. Hamiltonians deprived of housing continue to die in our city and we must do everything we can to prevent more harm, including death. This has the potential to help more in our community shelter from the deadly cold this winter, and I’m grateful for that possibility.
Thanks to Councillor Tammy Hwang for her motion to get staff working on this and to Mayor Andrea Horwath for helping to move it along in time for winter.
I will support City staff’s recommendations today, but not without some serious reservations and I will be paying close attention to the next steps as this takes shapes.
I’m concerned, primarily, about the sanctioned site becoming a permanent rather than temporary solution. City staff’s report says it will be temporary, but without a clearly defined exit plan, I’m concerned it will remain in place and be treated as a permanent solution to homelessness. All Hamiltonians deserve housing. I’m hopeful those who are staying at the sanctioned site will be able to gain more direct access to housing and that we’ll have more details about how this will work in the coming weeks and months.
I’m also concerned about those who might find themselves unable to access the sanctioned site, despite City staff recommending a low barrier model. There will always be some for whom these options are not accessible and we must continue to make space for them to live safely and with dignity in our communities until adequate resources, especially wrap around housing supports, are made available through funding from the Provincial and Federal governments. Shelter is not equivalent to supportive, safe, and affordable housing.
I’m grateful that City staff have put together some options, but I’ll wait until I see the entire plan before commenting fully on whether or not I think it will be successful in achieving its goals. I will keep everyone posted as I have more information through this newsletter and my social media accounts.
City Council Summary - September 11, 2024
The Council debates leading up to September 11 centred around fall speed cushion installations in Ward 2, the Downtown Entertainment District, and the maintenance of CityHousing Hamilton buildings.
Fall Speed Cushion Installations in Ward 2
Public Works Committee - September 3, 2024
City Council - September 11, 2024
Speed cushions were approved in Ward 2 as part of a raft of motions from Councillors to meet the City’s fall deadline. Typically, there are deadlines in fall and spring to implement some street safety measures and it was a busy meeting with dozens of speed cushions approved across Hamilton. In Ward 2, there will be speed cushions installed on Bay Street North between Strachan Street West and Picton Street West and on Picton Street East between James Street North and Hughson Street North, this fall. The exact placement of speed cushions will be determined in the coming weeks and I will be sending out notices to those who will be impacted (everyone on the block where a speed cushion will be installed). Right now, City staff have gone out and begun to make markings to estimate where these speed cushions will go and have begun to deliver some notices to residents where it’s likely they will be installed. We’re working with staff to finalize the locations and we’ll be in touch with property owners adjacent to the installation sites before the speed cushions are installed to ensure we gather their feedback and can make any necessary adjustments (if it’s possible to do so). We will be announcing spring speed cushion and street safety improvements next year and anticipate more will be installed and approved in Ward 2.
How did the Public Works Committee vote on installing these speed cushions?
In favour (14) - Beattie, Cassar (seconder), Danko, Francis, Hwang, Jackson, Kroetsch (mover), McMeekin, Nann, Pauls, Spadafora, Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Downtown Entertainment District
General Issues Committee - September 4, 2024
City Council - September 11, 2024
After the General Issues Committee voted to defer this report from its last meeting, City staff revised it to include more public information. In addition, the General Issues Committee had a lengthy discussion, in a Closed Session not open to the public, about the status of the Downtown Entertainment District. When we returned to an open public session, Councillor Maureen Wilson, Clark, and I all spoke on the record about why we thought it was problematic to keep the confidential discussions a secret from the public. As I argued, this is public money being spent on public infrastructure and the public deserves to know all of the details. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed and the majority (11) decided to keep the information from the public. Councillor Maureen Wilson moved a motion to ask that any future reporting detail the progress being made on the project so the public could have more clarity on where things stand. That motion was supported unanimously by all members of Council. I look forward to further transparency as this project continues toward completion and I will continue to push for all confidential reports to be made available to the public.
Who voted to keep the report secret and prevent its release to the public?
In favour (11) - Cassar, Beattie, Danko, Francis, Horwath (seconder), Hwang, Jackson (mover), McMeekin, Pauls, Spadafora, Tadeson
Against (5) - Clark, Kroetsch, Nann, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Maintenance of CityHousing Hamilton Buildings
Audit, Finance and Administration - September 5, 2024
City Council - September 11, 2024
At the Audit, Finance and Administration Committee meeting I successfully introduced a motion, seconded by Ward 4 Councillor Tammy Hwang (CityHousing Hamilton’s Treasurer), to fund maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to 9 affordable housing buildings in Ward 2. These included everything from balcony replacements and repairs to upgrading community gardens. Unfortunately, the Provincial government does not provide additional funding to maintain, repair, or upgrade the public affordable housing buildings it downloaded to the City. This means the City must try to find the money on top of its already ballooning contributions to offset this Provincial neglect, so I worked with staff at CityHousing Hamilton (CHH) over the last year to find ways to help. CHH staff were able to identify $850,000 in maintenance, repairs, and upgrades and I committed funds from the Ward 2 area rating reserve to fill this gap. I have been consistently committing funds from the area rating reserve during this term of Council to upgrade public facilities to make them more accessible, improve safety, help community non profits, and assist with capital repairs. These funds will impact the living conditions for more than 1,300 downtown residents and are among the most cost effective means of helping to enhance and sustain our City’s affordable housing stock. It’s important to return these funds to the community quickly and it’s my hope to continue to have Council’s support to ensure area rated funds are used to benefit as many Ward 2 residents as possible.
How did the Committee vote on approving these expenses for CityHousing Hamilton buildings in Ward 2?
In favour (7) - Beattie, Clark, Hwang (seconder), Kroetsch (mover), Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Upcoming Meetings and Events
This section lists important upcoming Committee and Council meetings, community and City events, and Ward 2 town halls. To read Committee and Council Agendas and Meeting Notices, please subscribe to updates directly through the City’s website.
Local Meetings and Events
Take Back the Night - September 19 - City Hall Forecourt - 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Ancaster Fair - September 19-22 - Ancaster Fairgrounds
Telling Tales - September 21 -22 - Royal Botanical Gardens - Hendrie Park - 10:00am to 5:00pm
Hamilton Comic Con - September 21-22 - Hamilton Convention Centre - 10:00am to 5:00pm; 10:00am to 4:00pm
Open House BBQ and Party - Fratellanza Racalmutese - 72 Murray Street West - 1:00pm to 11:00pm
Durand Movie Night - Migration - September 21 - Durand Park - Movie starts at dusk (approximately 7:45pm)
Sundays UnLocked - September 22 - Locke Street - 10:00am to 5:00pm
Ward 2 Heritage Council - September 23 - City Hall 264 - 6:30pm
Fall Community Cleanup - September 28 - Various locations across the city - 9:00am to 1:00pm
Queers at the Pier - Sports Edition - September 28 - Pier 8 - 5:30pm to 11:00pm
King James - Street Party - September 28 - Theatre Aquarius - 11:00pm to 8:00pm
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - September 30 - West Harbour James Street Plaza (James Street North and Guise Street) - Sunrise (approximately 7:15am) and 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Art Exhibits, Installations, Performances, and Events
Nightfall - Stephanie Vegh - until October 26 - Centre[3]
DATABODIES - Haoran Chang, Arturo Jimenez, Carmela Laganse, Taien Ng-Chas - until October 11 - Centre[3]
SoundBites - Roger Mooking - until October 6 - Art Gallery of Hamilton
Foreign Dreams - Simranpreet Kaur Anand, Conner Singh VanderBeek - until December 14 - Workers Arts and Heritage Centre
The book of [un]Happiness - Olivia Shortt - until November 2 - Hamilton Artists Inc.
The Gold Boxes - Ravinder Ruprai - until November 2 - Hamilton Artists Inc.
Sent from a Distant Party - Sal Shivji - until November 2 - Hamilton Artists Inc.
King James - Rajiv Joseph - September 25 to October 12 - Theatre Aquarius
Jan Wade - Soul Power - until January 5 - Art Gallery of Hamilton
Radha S. Menon - Touched by Devi - until January 5 - Art Gallery of Hamilton