Hamilton Encampment Support Network rally at Corktown Park

A rally was held in Hamilton’s Corktown neighbourhood this afternoon, as a show of support for those living among encampments both on the rail trail, and the city as a whole.

Sunday’s rally comes on the heels of what has been several days of action from the city of Hamilton, after it carried out a multi-day effort to remove several encampments along the rail trail, and get some of the people living there, out.

“The Hamilton Encampment Support Network doesn’t think people should live in tents,” said James Lambert, a Hamilton encampment volunteer. “The Hamilton Encampment Support Network thinks that people should live in dignity, that they should have autonomy, they should have homes with doors that lock, and kitchens and bedrooms and bathrooms, and all the basic necessities that most of us enjoy in the city.”

On Sunday, Hamilton’s ongoing housing crisis was top of mind for many at Corktown Park as the Hamilton Encampment Support Network staged a rally, in a bid to give those living on the rail trail a voice.

Volunteers here say much of what the city is doing for those living on the streets hasn’t translated into meaningful housing solutions.

“There was five million put into the Tiffany Barton site.  That’s a total of 7.9 million dollars that just went into setting up the Tiffany Barton site. Based on the average one bedroom housing price in Hamilton, for rent, we’ve estimated that you could have just paid rent for 100 people for 2.2 million” said Zeinab Khawaja, a volunteer with HESN.

Currently, the Barton-Tiffany site houses is operating at capacity, housing just 80 people.

“I would like to ask the city to leave these people alone, to imagine something better, because this housing stuff isn’t panning out, its not panning out fast enough” said Gessie Stearns, an affordable housing advocate.

Those living out of the rail trail, like JP, plan to go back but they say its only a matter of time before they’ll be asked to move, again.

As for the city, staff have still not answered any of our questions about the rail trail, and its enforcement.

WATCH MORE: City of Hamilton begins rail trail encampment teardown, residents left struggling