Hamilton extends encampment response pilot until the end of April
Global News
A pilot program enlisting an encampment response team, providing outreach services and bylaw enforcement, was extend after the initiative expired at the end of 2022.
Despite councillors putting forward a motion to craft a new protocol dealing with city encampments, Hamilton has opted to extend its current response pilot to the end of April.
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.
As of the end of December, that program had run its course.
A staff report signed by the city’s director of housing, as well as the director of bylaw services, recommended an extension of the pilot until the end of April at a cost of $350,000.
During a general issues committee (GIC) meeting Wednesday, Coun. Cameron Kroetsch of Ward 2 downtown suggested looking at an alternative arrangement focusing on the human rights of those experiencing homelessness.
The city’s current protocol also enlists police and municipal law enforcement, typically enforcing evictions and camp dismantling, which has been under scrutiny from some community members.
The team has the ability to issue trespass notices against encampment residents within 12 to 72 hours of a first complaint.
Kroetsch suggested the city’s overall approach has not worked and that staff should meet with groups like HamSmart, Keeping Six and the YWCA to craft a new protocol, and report back to council.