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:
- Taking action which will result in an increase in the supply of affordable housing - Affordable Housing Flagship
- Providing information on affordable housing needs in Hamilton - Affordable Housing Information
- Community development and research support that promotes - Long term solutions to homelessness
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FLAGSHIP
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 |
|---|---|---|
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|
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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
Source: SPRC Emergency Shelter Survey
LONG TERM SOLUTIONS TO HOMELESSNESS
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH SUPPORT FOR THE FOLLOWING INITIATIVES:
- Hamilton Executive Directors Aboriginal Coalition
- Solutions for Housing Action Committee
- Housing Emergency Loan Program (and Provincial Rent Bank)
- Template for the Future (with the Disability Action Networking Group)
- Hamilton Tenant Education Project (link to www.hamiltontenant.ca)
- Community Consultation Committee on Social Housing
- Hospital – Shelters Discharge Working Group (link here to report)
- Consultation with people who are homeless on the City of Hamilton’s upcoming Strategic Plan on Homelessness
- The Homelessness Trail: Voice of the People
- The Freeman Evaluation
publications
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