The mayor of Hamilton says she’s “not shutting any ideas down” when it comes to dealing with homelessness in the city, including examining a citizens registry for those willing to take in someone who is unhoused.
Andrea Horvath says there’s no single remedy for the problem and she’s willing to hear any solution to finding a place for the estimated 1,600 who’ve connected with the city’s homeless-serving system.
“It’s not so much the idea, it’s not shutting any ideas down,” Horwath told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
“So I’m prepared to be open-minded and get the information. There’s no panacea … we have an emergency. We’re in a crisis.”
Councillors declared a state of emergency across the city through a vote in mid-April, related to homelessness, mental health and opioid addiction.
A measure that has the goal of getting the provincial government’s attention in terms of support and funding.
The idea of an advocate registry was brought forth amid council deliberations in mid-May over the feasibility of a sanctioned encampment proposal suggested by the city’s housing services.
After councillors sent staff back to the drawing board, the registry idea received some public attention particularly when housing advocates ACORN Hamilton and the Hamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN) rallied out front of city hall on Friday in opposition.
“This solution essentially reduces our neighbours living in tents to the status of stray pets in need of adoption by compassionate people,” HESN’s James Lambert suggested at the May 26 gathering.
Horwath says the idea is nothing but that – a suggestion – and is in no way “something that’s been put up as a priority.”
“I know it’s getting a lot of attention, but it was very clear that the staff are working on a number of other initiatives,” Horwath revealed.
“This is kind of on the list of things to do, but in no way has this jumped to the front.”
A second round of trespass notices was issued last week at some estimated 100 encampments across the city, including the largest behind city hall.
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Director of Housing Michelle Baird told Global News that city staff interacts with those individuals several times a week using a “housing first” approach to connect them with a safer alternative.
For the so-called “Whitehern encampment” at city hall, residents get visits, on average, four to five times each week.
But Baird said options at present are limited with the shelter system beyond capacity and a long waitlist for stable housing options.
“So is it difficult? Absolutely. The system is definitely pressured,” Baird told Global News. “They’re doing their best to move people when someone’s interested in having that happen.”
Funding for housing is something that is top of the list in terms of the city’s 2023 operating budget, a 30 per cent increase to just over $70 million making it the largest line item with an uptick year over year.
However, Horwath insists the federal and provincial governments must get heavily involved in any overarching solution, particularly with mental health which she suggests is partially embedded into homelessness in the city.
Mental health challenges will be addressed with resources, supports and therapies at the municipal level, according to the mayor, but Hamilton will need outside aid to solve them.
“We just don’t have that capacity at the municipal level. So it will take all orders of government,” she said.
Baird said the suggestion of the advocate registry may have been made from the perspective of “there’s are no wrong options” and a way of doing something to alleviate a problem.
“I can’t really say with respect to what it would look like versus all that exploration is happening and underway,” she said.
Since February, city staff have been meeting with community stakeholders and researching what other communities are doing in crafting a permanent encampment strategy.
Housing services is set to launch a broad community consultation ward by ward in person and online throughout June.
Councillors are expected to see the results of that work in August.
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