Hamilton declares state of emergency amid troubles with homelessness, mental health and addiction

City councillors have declared a state of emergency in Hamilton, Ont., as it relates to homelessness, mental health and opioid addiction.

A motion, initially approved at the committee level last Thursday, has been finalized in a unanimous 15-0 vote by council.

The measure was presented by Stoney Creek’s Brad Clark in mid-January who said the goal of the declaration, similar to one that was approved earlier this year in Niagara Region, is to get provincial attention and funding.

“We need funding, significant funding, in these three areas,” said Clark reiterated.

In speaking to the issue on Wednesday, Clark added that the increase in homelessness, which now surpasses 1,500 people according to city figures, is “unacceptable,” as is the “insane” housing and rental market which is “putting more and more people on the streets.”

However, councillors learned via a staff report in March that such a declaration wouldn’t “open doors” to additional provincial funding since the action is meant to respond to an immediate need and not a systemic health issue.

What Clark’s successful motion will do is put the city’s mayor in a position to reach out to the province and lobby for mitigation strategies suggested by the Association of Local Public Health Agencies.

That includes soliciting the development of a task force to create a provincial opioid response plan, expanding harm-reduction programs, lifting caps on consumption and treatment services, and securing commitments to create more affordable and supportive housing.

Last year in Hamilton, paramedics responded to 814 suspected overdoses, while Clark added that shelters turned away as many as 80 homeless families in a single month due to a lack of space.

Opioid deaths have increased in Ontario by more than 100 per cent since 2017 and took a marked jump when the pandemic hit in March 2020.

The opioid-related death rate is 45 per cent greater in Hamilton compared with Ontario overall.

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