Municipal officers put more pressure on residents in an encampment out front of Hamilton city hall Monday by once again issuing notices asking them to leave.
The tents have been accumulating since late February in the forecourt on Main Street West, with organizers insisting it’s a demonstration highlighting a need for more supports among those experiencing homelessness.
Voluntary compliance notices were issued to many of the 40 tents, warning that a failure to leave the forecourt could “result in enforcement.”
“I didn’t expect this because I thought I made myself clear about the trespass notice and the fact that we are an active protest and that is our right to do so,” poverty advocate and organizer of the encampment Angela Vos said.
“We will stay for the duration of the time that we need to get housing for people and to continue on with the health care and services that we’ve provided.”
The encampment started as a protest on a pair issues including a push to have the John Weir Foote Armoury on James Street opened up as a warming centre.
The second was in objection to the stalling of development on two downtown Stoney Creek parking lots earmarked for affordable housing.
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Vos met with Mayor Andrea Horwath late last week in a bid to add washrooms, power and general holistic care for the encampment. That request was denied.
Initial trespass notices were issued by the city March 1, just days after the first tents showed up on the last weekend of February.
Global News has reached out to the city seeking next steps following the issuing of more notices Monday. Staff have yet to respond to the query.
The city’s street outreach team told Global News in late February that they would be engaging individuals regularly and offering support as it would for any other encampment site across the city.
In early March, the city’s manager of outreach Danielle Blake said they had a list of some 200 unhoused people with whom they were continuously engaging over the past few months.
Close to 1,900 people are believed to be homeless in Hamilton with an estimated 258 visibly homeless and living in encampments.
City staff estimate spending last year addressing homelessness reached about $80 million with about $28 million in aid coming from the province and another $9.9 million in federal contributions.
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