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Housing AND Homelessness

A high priority for the SPRC is to address homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in Hamilton.  Over the past decade, the SPRC has been heavily involved in documenting this growing crisis in our community as well as trying to find long term solutions.

THE WORK OF THE SPRC IS CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON:
  1. Taking action which will result in an increase in the supply of affordable housing  - Affordable Housing Flagship
  2. Providing information on affordable housing needs in Hamilton - Affordable Housing Information
  3. Community development and research support that promotes -  Long term solutions to homelessness

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FLAGSHIP

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Background and Membership of the Affordable Housing Flagship

Hamilton’s Affordable Housing Flagship (AHF) is a voluntary group of formal and informal community leaders with a mandate to ensure that affordable housing contributes to a healthy and vibrant city.   The AHF brings together government, voluntary, labour, business and not-for-profit sectors to work in innovative and collaborative ways to achieve our community vision.  Our work encompasses housing development, policy & advocacy and community development.  The Flagship endeavours to work in specific areas as outlined in our annual strategic planning sessions and the resulting action plan developed.
We recognize that having a home means more than simply providing a place to live: it is a place where people feel comfortable and safe; it is a stable base from which to enter the broader community and achieve one’s goals; it is an environment in which one feels accepted; and, it is a place in which one can take pride.   In developing affordable housing we take account of the unique needs of residents and ensure that these are addressed.
The AHF aligns its work with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction and works with like-minded partners to provide affordable housing options across the continuum of need (from shelter to home ownership). 
The Vision:
Everyone in Hamilton will have access to a home that is decent, stable and affordable in healthy neighbourhoods that promote social and economic inclusion.

Principles:
No blame and Shared Responsibility
Solution focused
Address root causes
Empower local communities/neighbourhoods to lead
Diverse and inclusive communities/neighbourhoods

We work in three broad areas to achieve our vision:

Housing Development Policy & Advocacy Sustainable Community Development
  • Facilitate new housing across the continuum
  • Facilitate movement along the continuum
  • Stabilize/revitalize existing housing
  • Ensure accessibility to housing options
  • Encourage the placement of appropriate supports to individuals/families to maintain affordable housing
  • Address local barriers to building affordable housing
  • Align policy within regulatory environments to enable affordable housing development
  • Work with partners to address broader issues that impact on access to affordable housing, such as income and transportation
  • Act as a sounding board and  provide advice
  • Develop a shared community vision to which multiple sectors can align and support the City of Hamilton in achieving this vision
  • Support the coordination of community groups addressing housing and homelessness
  • Support local neighbourhoods/ communities to lead development initiatives (building social capital)
  • Address NIMBY
  • Provide technical expertise in best practices and innovation

 

Members of the Affordable Housing Flagship include:
Bank of Montreal
Bank of Nova Scotia
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
City Housing Hamilton
City of Hamilton Housing and Planning Division
First Ontario Credit Union
Good Shepherd Non-Profit Homes
Habitat for Humanity Hamilton
Hamilton Community Foundation
Hamilton and District Labour Council
Hamilton Executive Directors’ Aboriginal Coalition (H.E.D.A.C.)
Hamilton-Halton Homebuilders’ Association
Homestead Christian Care
Housing Help Centre
Investorcentric
Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing
MS Society Hamilton Chapter
Options for Homes Hamilton
Realtors’ Association of Ham-Burlington
Remax/Delmar Real Estate
Rotary Club of Hamilton
Rygiel Supports for Community Living
Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton (SPRC)
St. Joseph’s Homecare
Tenant Advisory Committee
Trivaris
United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton
Wesley Community Homes
Wesley Urban Ministries
YWCA Hamilton

To contact us: Renée Wetselaar, Project Director
                             rwetselaar@sprc.hamilton.on.ca
                              (905) 522-1148, Ext. 311

 

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING INFORMATION

TABLE 1:  2009 AVERAGE RENTS AND VACANCY RATES CITY OF HAMILTON

Private Apartments,
6+ units		 Vacancy Rate Average Rents

Bachelor

7,4%

$502

1 Bedroom

3.9%

$636

2 Bedroom

4.9%

$760

3+ Bedroom

3.9%

$869

Total

4.5%

$692

Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing, 2009

TABLE 2: CURRENT SHELTER ALLOWANCES FOR ONTARIO WORKS AND ONTARIO DISABILITY SUPPORT PROGRAM, 2009

Family Size Ontario Works Ontario Disability Support Program

Single

$356

$454

Couple

$560

$714

Single parent & 1 child*

$560

$714

Single parent & 2 children

$607

$714

Couple & 1 child

$607

$775

Source:  City of Hamilton, Public Health and Community Services

*child 13 years of age and less

TABLE 3:  QUICK FACTS ABOUT SOCIAL HOUSING IN HAMILTON

Quick Facts About Social Housing 2007 2008

Number of social housing units

Number of social housing units where tenants pay rent geared to income

Number of active applications on the social housing wait list (as of March 31)

Number of new applicants per month

Average number of people housed per month

Number of people who have homeless status on the wait list (as of March 31)

Number of people housed annually who have homeless status

Source:  City of Hamilton, 2007, 2008

14,692

10,000

3,663

149

87

312

156

14,692

10,000

4,145

243

91

433

159

TABLE 4:  EMERGENCY SHELTER USAGE ON A GIVEN NIGHT IN HAMILTON, 1995-2006 

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Source: SPRC Emergency Shelter Survey

LONG TERM SOLUTIONS TO HOMELESSNESS

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH SUPPORT FOR THE FOLLOWING INITIATIVES:

publications

2007

Homelessness Partnering Strategy: Community Plan 2007-2009: Framework – Hamilton Urban Aboriginal Community (November 2007)
Homelessness Partnering Strategy: Community Plan 2007-2009: Data Tools – Hamilton Urban Aboriginal Community (November 2007)

National Homelessness Initiative: Community Plan Assessment: Phase II Framework – Hamilton Urban Aboriginal Update (July 2007)
National Homelessness Initiative: Community Plan Assessment: Phase II Data Tools – Hamilton Urban Aboriginal Update (July 2007)
2006

Hamilton Aboriginal Men’s Transitional Housing Needs Analysis (in partnership with the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre) (May 2006)
2005

Addressing the Needs of Street-Involved and Homeless Youth in Hamilton (in partnership with the Street Involved and Homeless Youth Managers) (October 2005)
2004

Needs Analysis for Transitional Housing With An Employment Component for Men Experiencing Homelessness  (September 2004)

2003

Consulting the Community Around Housing and Homelessness: Structured Notes and Themes (March 2003)

Progress Report on Homelessness in Hamilton(May 2003)
2002

Report Card on Homelessness in Hamilton 2002 (April 2002)
2000

Community Action Plan on Homelessness 2000
1999

Our Homes and Our Streets: Homelessness in Hamilton 1999

publications by community partners

The City of Hamilton, with research support from the SPRC, has recently published the most recent statistics on homelessness in Hamilton. Made available through SPRC with the permission of the authors and original publishers.

2007

On Any Given Night: Measuring Homelessness in Hamilton(December 2007)

2006

On Any Given Night: Measuring Homelessness in Hamilton (2006)

HOMELESSNESS RESOURCES:

City of Hamilton Housing Division
Hamilton Tenant Helpline
City of Ottawa Report Card on Homelessness
Raising the Roof
National Alliance to End Homelessness

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