The port city, Hamilton, is based in Canada’s Ontario province, which according to the metropolitan area census, has 536,917 inhabitants. The region is located 58 kilometer on the Southern side of Toronto and was first inhabited by George Hamilton, who purchased the region for farming from the Durand post the 1812 war. Homelessness in Hamilton has received intensive attention from non-governmental organizations and Canada’s government, because it impacts individuals from all ages. In 2018, Hamilton had a record 386 homeless residents, with 65% of the population above being women escaping intimate partner violence and vulnerable persons from different backgrounds (The Homeless Hub (a), 2021). Even though Hamilton has several rescue shelters where homelessness persons seek aid, the city will benefit from the Canadian government’s plan to end the chronic problem above by 2025. The analysis of macro, mezzo, and micro factors propelling the homelessness situation in Hamilton and subsequent analysis of proposed intervention methods shows the intensity of the lack of shelter in the mentioned region and why the government must implement its rescue plan sooner instead of later.
Macro factors that may cause the increased rise of the homeless population in Hamilton include the economic, national and legal system problems in 2021. For instance, Canada’s economy has been affected by the Corona Virus 2019 pandemic and many service industries, such as the tourism sector, ended their operations because of lacking clients. Most countries, including Canada, declared a total lockdown to prevent the spread of Corona Virus 2019, which compelled most individuals to stay home (The Homeless Hub (b), 2021). Therefore, Hamilton dwellers who worked in the industry above and associated sectors, such as public transport, may have been declared redundant at work. Rent is a costly expense in Hamilton that requires a person to have a job for sustained living in residential houses. Therefore, because of a dip in the economic strength of Hamiltonians, some individuals may have been rendered homeless. Additionally, homelessness in Hamilton may have resulted from legal macro issues, where for instance, an individual became unemployed because their employer violated a court order not to release them from work. The unemployed person could then lose their source of income, and would be homeless if they could not afford to pay rent.
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Further, homelessness in Hamilton could result from mezzo factors caused by institutions, communities, or ethnic groups in the past, present, and future. For instance, as mentioned above, organizations may end their operations unexpectedly, which cuts off the sources of income for affected residents in Hamilton. If a suddenly unemployed person cannot access support from friends, family, or charitable organizations, they may become homeless, primarily when they do not have funds to pay rent. Ethnic communities could also contribute to the homelessness of individuals in Hamilton from adhering to fanatical cultural beliefs. For instance, if a member of an ethnic group that does not advocate for same-sex relationships declares they have a romantic involvement with another person of the same gender, they may be excommunicated by their families. If the latter do not have a robust support mechanism, they may become homeless, primarily if they depended solely on their families for shelter.
Finally, homelessness in Hamilton may have been caused by micro factors, such as relationships, families, and individuals in the contemporary Canadian environment. For instance, a mother may become homeless if they are victims of intimate partner violence repeatedly, causing them to seek shelter away from their families. Alternatively, couples in romantic relationships could separate because of unresolved conflicts, and if one partner does not have the resources to rent a place or family and friends to shelter them, they could become homeless. Individual factors that may cause homelessness in Hamilton include chronic substance abuse to the extent the person cannot be around healthy family members or acute mental health conditions that cause an individual to refuse living at home.
Hamilton has several shelters that provide food and accommodation for homeless persons in the region today. For instance, for temporary cases, the homeless can be sheltered by non-governmental organizations, such as Wesley Day Center, which provides amenities, such as showers, shampoos and soaps for personal hygiene, and bagged breakfast and lunch. Additionally, the shelters provide counseling, referrals, and advocacy services for the homeless in Hamilton who seek help from the institutions above (The Homeless Hub (c), 2021). Other shelters in the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for the homeless include the St. Patricks Rest and hygiene Center and Mission Services Willow’s Center.Hamilton also has food banks for the homelessness, such as The Hub, Welcome Inn Community Center, Salvation Army, and Mission Services of Hamilton. Finally, Hamilton has emergency shelters, such as Good Shepherd Family Center, Mission Services Men’s Residence, Good Shepherd Mary’s Place, and Good Shepherd Martha House for various genders and age groups (The Homeless Hub, 2021).In the long-term, Hamilton will benefit from the Housing First campaign that aims to end homelessness in the region and entire country by constructing permanent homes for chronic cases of lack of shelter in Canada.
References
The Homeless Hub (a). (2021). Hamilton: Homelessness . https://www.homelesshub.ca/community-profile/hamilton
The Homeless Hub (b). (2021). Ending homelessness . https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/ending-homelessness
The Homeless Hub (c). (2021, January 14). Resources for those experiencing homelessness in Hamilton . City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/resources-those-experiencing-homelessness-in-hamilton
