A group at one of Hamilton’s largest homeless encampments is still waiting to see if city officials will move in and start clearing them out after eviction notices were issued late last week.
Members of the Hamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN) are still monitoring the so-called Whitehern encampment Monday, occupied by some 30-plus residents behind city hall.
The network told Global News that people had been given different types of eviction dates by city officers and believe visitors and weddings at Whitehern Historic House during the spring and summer may be connected to the timing of the notices.
“We want the city to prioritize free housing and stop criminalizing people who are living unhoused,” HESN’s Tanya Collins said.
Municipal Law and Licensing’s Monica Ciriello confirmed 31 notices were issued to residents at the encampment site near Jackson and MacNab streets on Thursday.
The statements requested voluntary compliance “effective immediately” but did not specify any deadline.
Ciriello insisted safety concerns and the size of the encampment is the primary reason for recent actions, denying it has anything to do with weddings.
She pointed out that Hamilton fire has attended the site 21 times in the last couple of weeks due to safety concerns over open fires at the encampment.
“We’ve seen an increase of health and safety concerns at the location for the individuals’ encampment site, the community members as well as city staff,” Ciriello told Global News.
“This is an increase in the sort of frequency and severity of complaints, everything involving open substance use, fire, propane tanks and just potential risk to the heritage asset.”
Outreach staff have been at the site on average four to five times a week since March 1, and Ciriello says staff continue to offer “real-time shelter options” and space availability updates to the residents.
In February, the city extended an encampment response pilot to the end of April.
Prior to the continuation, a number of councillors expressed support for turning the pilot into a permanent $1.3-million response amid budget discussions.
The city’s 24-7 encampment response team, created in early 2022, involves outreach workers connecting with encamped residents experiencing homelessness and matching them up with city services and housing.
Since February, city staff have been meeting with community stakeholders to craft an encampment strategy.
Councillors and Mayor Andrea Horwath are expected to see a report sometime in May.