Advocating for a safer Ward 3 for everyone
There is a vocal minority who are publicly lamenting the state of safety in Hamilton’s Ward 3. They contend that people with mentalhealth conditions and addictions are “unpredictable” and that crime in the neighbourhood is out of control. Walter Furlan, in a Feb. 4 commentary, calls for a “moratorium” on social services in Ward 3 for residents in need. Those in crisis deserve help Furlan writes, but help should not come at the expense of the safety and social services available to housed residents.
I am an assistant professor at McMaster University, and a resident of Ward 3. Given the public call to turn Ward 3 into a “no-go zone” for social services, and the stigmatization and marginalization of persons with mental-health conditions and the unhoused in Hamilton, I worry that an emotions-based approach, over an approach rooted in evidence, will make the streets of Ward 3 less safe for everyone.
Publicly available crime statistics for Hamilton show a general decline in all types of crime. Hamilton’s 2022 homicide rate is at an all-time low, and while there were slight increases in certain types of crime in 2021, the rates are generally trending downward. Property crimes committed by youths in the City of Hamilton decreased by 15.6 per cent in 2021, while drug offences decreased by 17.7 per cent.
There is evidence that encampments lead to increases in small crimes in surrounding neighbourhoods. However, there is a lack of reliable statistics around encampments in the United States and Canada generally. What data does exist shows that crime rises in direct proximity to encampments only. One study shows crime rates increasing slightly after encampments were removed from a neighbourhood. As for supervised injection sites, a recent meta-analysis finds no evidence that these lead to an increase in crime.
Hamilton does have one crime problem. Residents of Hamilton believe that our city is plagued with crime at levels disproportionate to actual rates of crime. The assertion that crime is rising against all evidence to the contrary is a well-documented phenomenon. Arguments against increasing social services for vulnerable populations, including the unhoused, are based on criminological claims about Ward 3 that have little evidence to support them. Instead, this rhetoric perpetuates false narratives around those most in need.
I agree with Furlan that we need to invest in meaningful programming and facilities for our youth — which already exist — while also building friendlier public spaces. However, I question the sincerity and good faith with which this proposal is put forward. Why is funding for those in need, and those at-risk, mutually exclusive? Services for those in need are already underfunded, spaces in emergency shelters are at an all-time low, and more of our neighbours are food and shelter insecure.
If crime reduction is the issue, access to local mental-health services reduces crime in surrounding areas. Since crime rates are higher in disinvested and structurally disadvantaged neighbourhoods, investment in vacant-lot rehabilitation, incentives for landlords to rent properties, housing-centred approaches, and other systemic, environment-centred methods make for safer neighbourhoods.
What actual solutions do Furlan and his supporters put forward to solve the issues facing our neighbourhood, beyond calling for a “moratorium” and a “no-go zone for services for high acuity individuals in Ward 3”? Read that sentence carefully. How will cutting social services for our city’s most vulnerable populations help? Perhaps the question should be, who benefits from this proposal?
If we want to build a safer Ward 3, we need to support our most vulnerable populations rather than make their existence untenable. When our discussions around mental health and the unhoused are linked to crime over care, we are making a statement about who counts and who is deserving of our attention. I am not going to claim to have solutions to the problems faced by those most in need, but I know that the evidence-based paths we choose should benefit all residents of our ward.