Using empty school to alleviate encampment issues not feasible, says Hamilton chair – Hamilton | 24CA News
The chair of Hamilton’s public faculty board says an empty faculty within the core isn’t a web site these experiencing homelessness within the metropolis might “walk in and use” attributable to harm making it unsafe.
Dawn Danko says concepts have been pitched to the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) by quite a few teams and residents over time suggesting how an empty John A MacDonald Secondary on York Boulevard might think about assuaging town’s homelessness drawback.
“It would actually be quite a bit of remediation that would have to happen,” Danko defined.
“When we discussed that with the city and with other partners in the past, the idea of investing a significant amount of money to remediate a site for temporary use really wasn’t feasible.”
The board has pursued, 4 instances with the Ministry of Education, creation of a group hub offering area for metropolis companions like Hamilton Health Sciences, the Hamilton Community Foundation, Hamilton East Kiwanis Non-Profit Homes Inc. and YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford.
However, it’s did not be accredited every time.
“Unfortunately, the ministry at the time did not approve that proposal,” Danko remembers.
“Then we had a change in government and we haven’t had approval since, despite repeated requests to have that project approved. So that’s part of the reason the site’s been sitting empty.”
She says the board additionally had a dialogue with the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) to make use of the area as a transitional shelter and help web site. However, the excessive value of remediation additionally mothballed that idea.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had some damage to the building, so there’s some structural issues,” Danko stated.
“We’ve also had some water damage, and that’s led to, unfortunately, a mold issue. So the site isn’t something that you could walk in and use.”
The construction was particularly addressed by a number of residents at a public session on homelessness on the conference centre Tuesday as a possible answer to remove some 100 undesirable encampments throughout town.
As was Delta Secondary School that’s been shuttered since a consolidation in 2019 and is up on the market.
Hamilton’s housing director, Michelle Baird, instructed attendees town checked out these choices with the HWDSB and was suggested by the board that they weren’t “in a condition that’s appropriate.”
“We are looking at those kinds of things as well as what other vacant or unused sites that might exist in the city,” Baird stated.
“So (we’re) looking at all of those options and where we can locate them, including potentially, the project to put some tiny shelters in place. So none of those options are off the table.”
Global News reached out to the Ministry of Education in search of touch upon previous requests by the HWDSB to remediate Sir John A MacDonald for alternate use.
A spokesperson didn’t straight tackle the positioning in a response however did say The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act , handed by the Ford authorities in June, does have a framework to determine “excess property” and “better leverage surplus” for provincial priorities, together with reasonably priced housing.
Danko says she will be able to’t communicate for the ministry however the present HWDSB “vision” is for partial demolition of the positioning to create a brand new elementary faculty permitting for consolidation of Strathcona Elementary and High Street Elementary.
“Those are two sites that have very limited access to greenspace, they’re older buildings, and so it would be an opportunity to provide a much higher quality building, but also greenspace for students.”
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