From the forest to city hall: Hamilton encampment residents protest lack of housing options

Samantha Beattie · CBC

· Posted: May 29, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 29

Izzy Emmanuel says he doesn't privation to beryllium invisible anymore.

That's wherefore helium decided to relocate his structure from heavy successful the escarpment wood to close extracurricular metropolis hallway connected Monday successful protestation of Hamilton's encampment prohibition and deficiency of affordable housing. 

"Everyone who is homeless, their dependable is non-existent," Emmanuel told CBC Hamilton. 

"What makes maine irritated is if you instrumentality distant our tents, you're forcing radical to slumber outside." 

The 29-year-old works arsenic a enactment cook, earns minimum wage and hasn't been capable to spend to rent a spot for years.

He spent his teenage years successful foster attraction and got acceptable up successful an flat for a portion but was evicted aft his rent went up and helium couldn't wage for two months, helium said. He sofa surfed with household and friends for a portion earlier moving to the obstruction trail.

"I don't cognize what else to do," helium said of his situation. 

He was joined by 2 different people, including Jeanguy Parent, 58, who besides look impending eviction from their tents on the obstruction trail, arsenic good arsenic volunteers from the Hamilton Encampment Support Network. 

After 1 nighttime astatine metropolis hall, the group was served with trespass notices by 2 metropolis bylaw officers accompanied by 4 constabulary officers Tuesday afternoon. They were told they had a close to protestation but had to instrumentality their tents down and should go to a shelter.

A bylaw serviceman called antithetic shelters for them and informed Emmanuel and Parent two beds were disposable astatine a men's shelter, which they declined. They alternatively went backmost to the obstruction trail. 

Parent said helium doesn't enactment in shelters due to the fact that they are more often than not full, unsafe oregon triggering arsenic different people use substances. He's connected the hold database for transitional lodging and has lived adjacent the obstruction way for astir a year.

The metropolis began clearing encampments adjacent him earlier this month.

Parent and Emmanuel said portion they haven't been among those formally evicted, they've been told by officials it's lone a substance of time. 

"We cognize thing large is coming there," Parent said. 

Shelters are full, supplier says

Over the winter, the city opened an 80-person outdoor structure and added 192 much indoor structure beds, bringing the full to 930. Then successful March it began enforcing its bylaw that bans tents successful parks with the anticipation that encampment residents would determination into shelters instead. 

"Although capableness pressures exist, admissions bash hap connected a regular ground arsenic a effect of structure users moving retired to lodging oregon different options," said the metropolis successful a connection earlier this month. 

But those spaces tin beryllium hard to travel by.

The city said arsenic of April shelters capableness was at:

• 96 per cent for men.
• 98 per cent for women. 
• 88 per cent for families.
• 86 per cent for "adult mixed."
• 65 per cent for youth.
• 55 per cent for exigency hotels.

Encampment residents person told CBC Hamilton they routinely telephone shelters successful hunt of beds but have yet to find an opening. Staff astatine one shelter provider, the YWCA Hamilton, echoed that experience. 

"They're full," said Chelsea Kirkby, vice president of strategical initiatives and programme development. "There is turnover, naturally, and they're filled immediately. It's not predominant capable turnover to conscionable the need." 

She oversaw the opening of a 20-bed structure for women and sex divers radical successful December, funded by the city. It filled immediately, she said. 

"We thought it would assistance relieve the pressure, but it has not," Kirkby said. 

The YWCA's different drop-in shelter, which mostly operates connected a first-come-first-served basis, is besides afloat each night, she said. 

Emmanuel said sleeping successful a structure leaves him bushed and achy, with hardly capable vigor to enactment successful a kitchen, wherever helium earns astir $1,100 a month, never caput calling shelters mundane looking for a spot. 

"As a moving stateless person, I privation to quit my job," helium said. "I tin hardly bash it."