People living in tents at Hamilton city hall have been given orders by Hamilton bylaw officers to leave their encampment.
As many as 50 or 60 people are living in the tents including Montana-Lee Abela. Abela lives with her emotional support dog, Mylie, and has been homeless for a few years.
Abela says, “I would like to be back home with my family I’m just too embarrassed to go back home. Like, living the way I am right now I want to clean myself up for them.”
Hamilton city bylaw officers served notices on Friday telling them to leave voluntarily. The officers didn’t say what would happen if they don’t go.
Many people living in the encampment tell CHCH News that they have nowhere else to go. Encampment resident Jammy Pierre says, “… It’s frustrating because they haven’t presented any more solutions and I don’t think that setting up a tent should be considered an act of rebellion.”
The people who live there say they don’t know what to expect next but say the bylaw officers indicated they’d be back on Monday following the order for these people to leave. The city has forcibly removed encampments in the past.
The City of Hamilton has since declared a state of emergency over homelessness, and has asked the province for more money to help the people on the street.
Some city councillors say they’re disappointed by the city’s order to clear out the tent community without providing options. Hamilton city council is due to consider a new approach to tent encampments.