The Hamilton group seeking to build a small community of tiny homes for those experiencing homelessness believes it’ll be months before a potential replacement location will be found to host the structures.
Now that some 10 or so tiny shelters earmarked for the Strachan Linear Park site in the West Harbour area this winter will not happen, Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) chair Dan Bednis says more conversations with the city will happen “in the near term” to see if they can help with the estimated 200 unhoused people on the streets.
“I’m going to be talking with our leadership team and other board members to see how we can dovetail somewhat to help at least a few village members who didn’t have the opportunity,” Bednis said.
The decision to hold off came after the agency’s latest cost analysis revealed large investments would be needed to make it work this winter, which didn’t make fiscal sense considering the site would likely only be around for about a year.
“Well, you’re dealing with costs like … $300,000 for a communal unit, which has your washrooms and common area and your laundry facilities, etc., all within a unit,” Bednis said.
“We have a responsibility to the community at large and donors and our partners, and we have to be fiscally responsible. So tough decision, as you can imagine.”
Tom Cooper of Hamilton’s Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, the agency spearheading the initiative, added that concerns from local residents also played a part in forcing a look at “longer-term site.”
“We didn’t really have a good opportunity to talk about the benefits of our program so the message somewhat got lost, I think,” Cooper said.
“We think stepping back, reviewing where would be a more appropriate site over the next few months, and then trying to get something started in hopefully early 2024 will work for everybody.”
The Strachan site pilot represents the sixth location stakeholders seriously looked at over the past year as a suitable site after three other potential possibilities to house the eight-by-10 foot cabins failed to get approval from councillors.
The homes, equipped with beds, microwaves, mini-refrigerators and door locks, were targeting individuals not able to use the city’s current shelter system for a number of reasons, like health issues or having pets.
Other possibilities explored included a vacant lot on Barton Street East, the former Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, Cathedral Park alongside Highway 403, the old Dominion Glass site near Gage Avenue and Barton Street, and Stuart Street near the CN Rail yard.
Cooper says due process in engaging the community prior to selecting a future site will be at the forefront of the next search, which could include more partners, like LiUNA, which stepped up late to offer support for the HATS model.
Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) spokesperson Victoria Mancinelli admitted the organization had been opposed to the Strachan development, citing the lack of consultation with residents as well as the proximity of residential homes and local schools.
The agency had offered to collaborate with the city and HATS on an alternative site and did have recent discussions with the tiny shelters team but not with municipal staff, according to Mancinelli.
“It seemed that offer was a little bit ignored,” Mancinelli said.
Housing services division head Michelle Baird previously said although there were no specific public consultations on the Strachan site, there were “broader consultations” this year on managing encampments, including sanctioned sites.
The City of Hamilton has put calls out for third-party applications to provide overnight winter warming spaces and expansion of daytime drop-in programs as alternatives to the 10 tiny homes and amenities that will not be built for December.
In a statement Friday, city staff said they remain committed to the HATS program but have no alternative site in mind at present.
Cooper says engaging the community up front is a “learned lesson” from the previous experience and with the HATS winter startup now off the table they have time to collaborate with neighbourhoods and partners.
He says at present there are currently no obvious possibilities for a replacement site.
“I think over the next few months, we’ll take a good hard look at a number of locations, both in the lower city and elsewhere, and see what could work,” Copper revealed.
“You know in Waterloo, they do have a tiny cabin community outside of the urban area, and they have shuttle buses moving back and forth. So I don’t know if that’s a possibility or not.”
Roughly 1,900 people are experiencing homelessness in Hamilton, with about 10 per cent living outside, according to the city.
Council is expected to revisit the matter when the next monthly update on homelessness is presented to the general issues committee.