Hamilton to explore 'advocate registry,' where residents could host people experiencing homelessness

Hamilton city council is moving forward with the idea of an "advocate registry," which would allow residents to host someone living in an encampment.

Council voted 9-6 in favour of looking further into the proposal Wednesday.

The city would be following in the footsteps of Oshawa, Ont., which began running a similar initiative called the Spirit in Service Sponsorship program in December 2020. 

Oshawa's sponsorship program is based off of a 2015 refugee sponsorship program, which helped Syrian refugees become accustomed to life in Canada. The program helped refugees find housing, employment and community connections. 

"I think we need to be solution oriented," Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said at Wednesday's council meeting, where she voted in support of the motion to direct city staff to explore the feasibility of such a program in Hamilton.

Horwath said she was in favour of getting more information on what having an advocate registry would mean for the city, in terms of cost and workload for city staff.

Participants in the registry would be able to opt out at any time. City councillors would be allowed to participate. 

Ward 1 Coun. Maureen Wilson said she found the idea problematic, saying the city's encampment issues are "not going to be solved by an act of individual benevolence." 

Wilson said support for people living in the encampments should be the responsibility of the province and that the city needs to sit at the table with the province to discuss solutions. 

"We need help sharing the load," she said. 

According to the city data, as of April, there were more than 1,600 people "actively homeless."

Concerns over safety, need for long-term solutions

The Hamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN) shared some concerns about the registry not providing long-term solutions for those experiencing homelessness and called for better access to housing.

"The type of housing that allows someone to stay housed is actually not just dependent on needs — it's also dependent on housing being made available, irrespective of access to income. Homelessness is not a moral failing — but it's created to be one when you can't 'afford' it," the network wrote on Twitter as Wednesday's meeting took place.

Ward 9 Coun. Brad Clark, who voted against the motion, said he had safety concerns with a registry. It could put both the volunteers and the person experiencing homelessness at risk, he said.

"The liability would be very high in this matter," he said. 

HESN also shared concerns about safety. "It's worrying to hear this City suggest that individual homeowners could safely 'house' people living in shelters. So many residents have experience with [intimate partner violence], familial violence and [gender based violence] — how will this council ensure safety?" 

The network called for a protest against the registry motion, saying it would be in front of City Hall Friday morning to show support for permanent housing solutions.

Ward 11 Coun. Mark Tadeson, who voted in support of looking into the registry, said not everyone experiencing homelessness has mental health or substance issues that could put others at risk. 

"There are many situations why people might find themselves homeless and this could be one tool in the toolbox." 

According to the motion, which didn't lay out specifics about what "hosting" someone would entail, staff will now "determine the feasibility, financial impacts to the municipality, and potential liability" of the registry and report back to the general issues committee at a future date.

How they voted 

Who was in favour of staff looking into an 'advocate registry' 

Mayor Andrea Horwath; John-Paul Danko (Ward 8); Esther Pauls (Ward 7);  Tammy Hwang (Ward 4); Matt Francis (Ward 5); Jeff Beattie (Ward 10); Mark Tadeson (Ward 11); Mike Spadafora (Ward 14); Ted McMeekin (Ward 15)

Who was opposed

Maureen Wilson (Ward 1); Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2); Brad Clark (Ward 9); Nrinder Nann (Ward 3); Craig Cassar (Ward 12); Alex Wilson (Ward 13)

Absent 

Tom Jackson (Ward 6)