Collaboration key to solving homelessness

Hamilton Regional Indian Centre addressing needs through an array of programs

As we face the brutal challenges of winter alongside the health and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, our city’s homelessness crisis is magnified. This is particularly true among our Indigenous community members.

Indigenous people of Hamilton account for about two per cent of the city’s population, but as of the 2018 Point in Time Count, make up 22 per cent of our homeless population. The reasons for this disparity stem from both historical injustices and present-day inequities.

With the financial impacts of COVID-19 affecting housing stability, the number of people accessing services has only increased. As part of the solution, the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre (HRIC) is addressing community needs through our array of programs and services, recently adding supports like our Mobile Street Outreach Program. We know the distinct needs of our community members and how to address them.

To help facilitate these changes, we implemented our Housing & Homelessness Supports and Services Department (HHSS) last July. Since then, we have received 95 new referrals and are currently supporting 132 clients. Most of our services remain overcapacity.

To meet expanded needs, we are actively seeking a larger location for the development of a drop-in centre and the necessary funding and partners to build or secure additional housing. We require the infrastructure and inventory of beds that is equitable and proportional to the needs of our community.

The HHSS Department is designed to help homeless Indigenous community members navigate supports and services and find a place to call home. From providing for basic needs through our food bank, access to temporary housing and the landlord liaison, to support for reintegration from institutions, and education and employment initiatives, our wholistic and collaborative model has increased the likelihood that participants receive the help they need.

The keys to success have been a streamlined intake process, identifying needs and effective co-ordination of supports within HRIC and with other service providers. HRIC staff provide culturally safe, warm, and supportive service delivery, with wholistic healing and wellness supports for living a balanced life. Providing wraparound services in a culturally safe environment is needed to help rebuild trust and provide a sense of safety, allowing healing to take place.

Currently, the vast majority of funding is dispersed to mainstream services and supports, leaving HRIC and other urban Indigenous service providers chronically under-resourced. There is simply not enough funding to maintain a reduction of Indigenous homelessness. In addition to proportional distribution, sustainable funding sources are vital for long-term planning and success, beyond emergency COVID relief.

The deep knowledge and experience of HRIC puts us in a strong position to confront this crisis. With their comprehensive understanding of Indigenous concerns, the HHSS Department has the ability to create change among our most vulnerable community members.

Further and continued partnering with mainstream services will help to achieve better outcomes for the entire community. Within these partnerships, Indigenous service delivery agencies must be consulted to make meaningful, informed decisions together.

Building a relationship of mutual respect and understanding between Indigenous, mainstream and municipal agencies is central to alleviating shared challenges such as homelessness. This work is part of the larger efforts between HRIC and the City of Hamilton, and our collaboration on the Declaration of Mutual Commitment and Friendship, to improve supports and services for Indigenous people in our community.

Planning begins now for better outcomes next month, next year, and beyond, supporting the city’s goal of reducing encampments and ending homelessness in our community. We are all citizens of Hamilton, regardless of nationality or ethnicity.

Everybody deserves a spot in the circle.