No money to fund overnight heating spaces could lead to more deaths among homeless, advocates say

Operators of Hamilton's network of homeless shelters and drop-in locations are worried that without overnight warming spaces funding, there will be more cases of frostbites or death during the cold winter months.

In January a pair of Hamilton doctors released data tracking deaths in the city's homeless population, revealing at least 19 people died during a six-month period in 2021.

Wesley Urban Ministries, The Hub, The Shelter Health Network, Grenfell Ministries and the Student Overdose and Prevention and Education Network are hoping the new city council can find a solution before it gets any colder. 

"It's not great, it's actually pretty scary," said Jennifer Bonner, co-founder and executive director of The Hub on Vine Street.

In August Hamilton's Housing Services Division told the Emergency and Community Services Committee that without additional provincial funding certain emergency services will be cut.

The federal COVID emergency relief funding that was used to pay for these services has stopped and any further money would need to be sourced internally.

Along with three other services, the Expanded Winter Response Fund, which was providing $500,000 for overnight warming centres for the winters of 2021-22, was discontinued.

This means that during the next cold alert, drop-in centres like Wesley or The Hub won't be able to provide shelter against the weather.

Bonner said that the warming spaces were crucial for the homeless population during the COVID-19 lockdowns and provided spaces for them to survive the harsh weather.

"It's significant for these people, a large snowfall can collapse tents very easily," said Bonner.

"People could die in their tents or get frostbite, we saw a lot of folks last year who were exposed to the elements for longer periods of time."

The medical officer of health for the City of Hamilton issues a cold alert when:

This triggers the Community Cold Response, repurposing some of the city's recreation centres and Hamilton Public Library locations to become community warming centres for those who need to keep warm during operating hours.

According to the August report that was given to the Emergency and Community Services Committee, from the start of the pandemic response on March 16, 2020 through June 2022, the expanded shelter system supported a total of 5,481 unique individuals and 488 families.