Over a dozen Hamiltonians were at city hall on Wednesday to tell council they believe the city’s encampment protocol is not working.
The protocol allows five tents in a group, which can’t be closer than 300 feet from playgrounds, schools and daycares and cannot be closer than 30 feet from private property.
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The residents pointed to concerns over safety and cleanliness and say enforcement is lacking.
Sue Coolin, 62, has taken it upon herself to enforce the encampment rules at Montgomery Park in east Hamilton because she says nobody else will.
“I look after them. I make sure that they keep the park clean. I make sure there are no hardcore drugs in here,” Coolin said.
Coolin was evicted from her home two years ago, she has lived in her truck with her dog ever since.
The pair watch over the encampment at Montgomery Park and ensures it’s following the city’s encampment protocol rules.
“It’s not my job to do it, but I love the people, I love helping it out.”
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Coolin says the housing crisis needs to be addressed. “Some of these people work every day. We’re not out here for a choice that we chose to. There’s no housing, it’s all taken away from us.”
Coolin says most of her money goes to food and her truck, leaving her with not enough to rent a home.
“I just want to be able to lay in a tub when my legs are hurting. I just want to have a space. It’s a bad life, this is not a good life.”
Hamilton resident Michael Norman was at city hall on Wednesday and he said, “We have a tent out front of our house, it’s a bit too close. We heard nothing, it’s all about police point you to by law, by law points you to police. It’s a vicious circle of unresponsiveness.”
Another concerned resident, Jodi Formosi said, “It’s complete chaos, there are no rules there are no boundaries. We need to put our community, our children, our safety, our health, first.”
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David Hennick, Hamilton Police Service’s Superintendent of Community Safety responded to the concerns about enforecement.
“We’re doing the best that we can with the resources we have. But I don’t think we’re meeting the needs of the community, and I don’t think we’re meeting the needs of the unhoused,” Hennick said.
City staff says there’s a need for expansion of the city’s shelter system which is one way to reduce the number of encampments.