Hamilton’s city council is set to discuss a new shelter plan on Wednesday as it looks to find immediate solutions for the estimated 300 people who are currently living in encampments.
One proposal involves temporary small cabin units set up in a lot near Barton Street and Tiffany Street.
READ MORE: Encampment protocol, tiny shelters approved in Hamilton despite resident concerns
“The main advantage of these cabin villages is two fold,” Dan Postma, the president of Future Shelters said. They’re portable and they’re fast”.
Postma’s company is one that’s in the running to provide temporary shelter units to the city of Hamilton.
“They will have a bunch of cabins put up, congregated around a communal building,” he added, saying that the cabins are not long term, affordable housing but rather a step up from living in tents.
Postma says his company’s temporary housing units are shipped from Charlotte North Carolina, where similar units have been used in areas hit by hurricanes.
They come in a variety of sizes, but an 80 square-foot unit costs roughly $18,000.
Another point on the agenda for Wednesday’s city council meeting is how to manage the site, as well as the design of the units.
READ MORE: Frustration felt after Hamilton’s homelessness support costs revealed
City staff believe the site could take up to 80 people.
If approved, city staff are recommending that no encampments be allowed within one kilometre of the site to avoid crowding the space.
This would mean Bayfront Park, Pier 4 Park, and Central Park would be removed from the encampment locations currently allowed.
Other proposed solutions in the report include adding 192 spaces in shelters around the city.
Staff say this would increase capacity in shelters from 341 beds to 533 – a 56 per cent increase.
READ MORE: Hamilton mayor directs staff to develop plan for sanctioned temporary sites amid homelessness crisis
