Proposed Strachan HATS Village

Update on Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelter (HATS) pilot - October 6, 2023

The City of Hamilton has always been committed to exploring every option and opportunity to address the crisis of homelessness in our community.

The Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) was founded to provide warm, safe and temporary tiny homes - with wrap-around supports - for those experiencing homelessness in Hamilton. In August 2023, City Council directed staff to engage with HATS to provide up to 25 unhoused residents with temporary shelter and support through a Tiny Homes pilot to be in place prior to the upcoming winter months.

Since that time, the City has worked with HATS as they performed the necessary due diligence to move this work forward. This work has involved investigating both the technical requirements to establish a Tiny Homes pilot as well as the operational requirements, such as the ability to provide the critical services to HATS residents and ensure the well-being of surrounding communities.

The City is thankful for the leadership HATS has shown in bringing forward an innovative, compassionate and human-centered approach to help mitigate the impacts of homelessness through a Tiny Homes pilot.

Their generosity, citizenship and partnership has been greatly appreciated, and we support the conclusions of their due diligence process to not proceed with their pilot on the Strachan Street site.

The City of Hamilton will be taking additional measures to meet the needs of unhoused individuals over the winter months, including a call-out for applications for overnight winter warming spaces, expansion of day time drop-in programs and expansion of hours at some recreation centres and libraries.

The City has been working closely with the volunteer HATS organization for nearly two years, and we will continue to do so.

No alternative sites are proposed for this time, as we focus on the ongoing implementation of the City’s encampment protocols and work to accelerate the provision of low barrier shelter space and affordable options across the housing continuum. The City will continue to keep the public informed about progress with respect to the Tiny Homes initiative through the monthly General Issues Committee Encampment Response Updates.

The HATS volunteers have invested considerable time in undertaking their due diligence and fundraising for their project, and we are grateful for their efforts and their dedication to the people of Hamilton.

As part of the Encampment Protocol and Sanctioned Sites ongoing work, City staff's jurisdictional scan identified the need for a low-barrier alternative to encampments.

At the August 14, 2023 General Issues Committee, City staff were directed by Council to implement a two-year pilot project led by the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS), at no cost to the City, to operationalize a model that would accommodate up to 25 structures where individuals living in encampments can live on a temporary basis.

HATS is a community-led and funded initiative that will occur on City-owned land. The City of Hamilton has provided support in principle and in the form of available land for a HATS pilot, subject to certain conditions. Conditions for City support include the development and review of a HATS operating model prior to the pilot starting, that residents be selected from the City’s by-name homelessness list, and that there be partnerships with community organizations to provide onsite services, including harm reduction services, to HATS residents. Additional conditions include the requirement for onsite security and staff at the pilot site, an evaluation plan to measure success and the creation of a wind down plan should the pilot not continue.

Site selection
City staff used similar criteria as was used for identifying potential locations for sanctioned sites, as well as HATS criteria that was developed in consultation with community partners and individuals with lived experience, and the recommended Encampment Protocol to identify suitable sites that would work for the model.

Strachan Linear Park on Strachan Avenue between Hughson Street and James Street was identified as a preferred site for HATS for occupancy beginning Q4 2023.

HATS Village Community Open House Cancelled

A community open house taking place on September 11 at 7 pm was cancelled due to serious health and safety issues at the meeting site.

The meeting at the Bennetto Community Centre, attracted several hundred attendees. During the event, some individuals in attendance engaged in physically and verbally aggressive behaviour toward security officials.

Out of concern for public safety, City officials informed meeting attendees and those outside the venue that the meeting could not proceed due to safety concerns.