'I feel kind of lost:' Hamilton men facing homelessness after YMCA fire wonder what's next
CBC
Standing on the corner of Jackson Street West and James Street South with his backpack on, Cesar Lemus stared at YMCA's downtown branch in Hamilton.
The charity's men's residence program has been Lemus's home for eight years, but the 40-year-old hasn't been able to stay in his unit since a Monday afternoon fire ripped through the building's third floor.
"The fact that we have to stay out here … I feel kind of lost," Lemus told CBC Hamilton, referring to the days now spent outdoors.
He is among the 173 tenants who were evacuated out of the building. Around half have since been sleeping on cots in one of the Y's gyms.
Almost a dozen people were also taken to hospital, according to the local fire department.
The residence provides men with short-term affordable housing, the YMCA's website says. It supports "men at risk," who face health and social challenges.
Most residents have disabilities, mental illness or addiction issues, have no access to a family doctor and receive financial support like Ontario Works, according to a YMCA presentation to city councillors last year. Rent is $455 per month.
"It's the only place we can afford," Lemus said Thursday. "I don't really have family members out here."
Some 200 people are also on the waitlist for the program, according to YMCA spokesperson Shawn McKillop.
The YMCA said in a media release on Wednesday it had plans to immediately start restoration efforts but because the damage is worse than initially expected, "there is an urgent need for a more comprehensive transition plan that will require additional time."
McKillop told CBC Hamilton there's no timeline yet for a transition plan.
"Our priority is to move the men into temporary or longer-term accommodation as quickly as possible," he wrote.
The branch will stay closed until some time next week, including the fitness and aquatic centre, a newcomer youth centre and EarlyON child care drop-in centre.
McKillop said some 83,356 community members used those amenities last year.
Four more Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions organized by their constituents, including the first NDP representative to be caught in the province's ongoing wave of recall efforts.
Frank Gehry, the Canadian-born renegade architect behind some of the world's most recognizable buildings, has died at 96.
Hundreds of P.E.I. parents can't find child-care spaces, especially for infants. The provincial government says expanding those spots remains a top priority — and it recognizes the concern.
An Alberta judge says a referendum proposal on Alberta separating from Canada goes against Charter and and Treaty rights, in a decision given less than 24 hours after the provincial government introduced legislation that would have ended the court proceeding.
The architect of Alberta's politician recall legislation says it was never meant to be used as a political weapon, but as an "ultimate tool of accountability" if a politician engages in illegal or unethical behaviour.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.
CBC Calgary kicks off its annual Make the Season Kind campaign this morning at Fratello Coffee Roasters.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.