Public consultation seeks legal encampment options for Hamilton – Hamilton | 24CA News
A Hamilton metropolis councillor says if a majority of residents vote ‘no’ to sanctioned encampment websites within the metropolis, they’ll want to supply up “other solutions” to mitigate the rising homelessness drawback.
As of this week, Hamiltonians could make their emotions identified about authorized tents in designated areas throughout the municipality by way of an on-line survey and the way town employees ought to deal with some 1,600 folks experiencing homelessness.
“The fact is that encampments and homelessness exist in our communities and we need to find out what residents think are the best ways to deal with those problems,” Ward 8’s John Paul Danko instructed 900 CHML’s Scott Radley Show.
A housing companies concept in search of the creation of sanctioned encampment zones, of as much as 5 tents in parks and different metropolis properties, was despatched again to the drafting board in mid-May.
City employees have since been requested to report again in August on the thought of a sanctioned encampment that might permit websites of as much as 50 tents the place people would have entry to washrooms, working water and help companies.
The on-line survey usually focuses on two points: help for a sanctioned encampment program and a protocol mitigating encampments that pop up exterior of sanctioned websites.
“And that’s kind of when somebody shows up in a park, and sets up a tent, should we allow people to camp overnight in a tent at a park or city property?” Danko defined.
Director of housing companies Michelle Baird says to date no areas have been recognized as appropriate but and is hoping the attain out to the group will give some hints on the place and the way town can present a spot of stability.
“This is not a solution to homelessness by any means, however, we have individuals who are sleeping outside and we need to provide a solution in the meantime,” Baird instructed 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
Ultimately, Baird says reasonably priced housing is the answer to the issue and that the potential encampment plan received’t be everlasting.
The launch of the survey comes the identical week the Hamilton Encampment Support Network accused officers of facilitating a “voluntary eviction” of individuals on the so-called “Whitehern” tents close to City Hall.
On quite a few events, Hamilton employees have prior to now few months issued trespass notices within the hopes of vacating town’s largest encampment.
Despite spending some $70 million over the previous yr on help applications and including tons of of supportive housing areas, the disaster continues and time is working out to search out “better solutions,” Danko stated.
A Hamilton group hoping to construct a small group of tiny shelters for these experiencing homelessness was additionally despatched again to the drafting board in January after failing to discover a appropriate location.
The Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) couldn’t push by way of any of the three proposed websites to deal with a group of eight-by-10 cabins.
Danko admits that’s a part of the complicated puzzle with the sanctioned encampment initiative suggesting it could “not be fair” for council to impose a website in “somebody’s neighborhood park.”
“So I think that is a consideration, and this is a city-wide issue,” he stated.
“This is not an issue that’s just affecting one area of the city, it’s not just downtown … it affects residents and businesses and those that are visiting our city.”
Danko will be part of friends in different Mountain wards on June 19 and listen to straight from constituents by way of an engagement session from 7-9 p.m. on the auditorium within the Hill Park Recreation Centre.
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