Councillor wants to use vacant Hamilton City Centre to help people facing homelessness

As Hamilton's City Centre is poised to remain untouched for most of this year, the city's downtown councillor is hoping there's a way to use the buildingto help people experiencing homelessness.

"My hope was the structure would be intact, there would be some clean up and a way to cordon off a section to be used for a warming centre ...or some type of shelter," Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch told CBC Hamilton.

But the conditions inside will likely be a barrier.

The building was slated for demolition in January 2023, but IN8 Developments paused those plans, with president Darryl Firsten saying inflation and interest rates are too high and will make it too hard to sell the future 2,000 condo units.

Ahead of the demolition, the developers allowed Hamilton police to conduct trainingin the building and graffiti artists to practice painting, Kroetsch said.

Police training and graffiti art done inside building

That, along with the start of some demolition, has caused significant damage inside, Firsten said.

Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman told CBC Hamilton the police service conductedemergency response trainingin the building in January 2023 prior to demolition plans.

That month, the police service posted to X, formerly Twitter, saying the Canadian Police College would be conducting training that included "loud bangs."

Penman said the building's demolition was delayed and training was extended toApril and September 2023.

She said police haven't used the building since then. Firsten noted the fire department also used the building.

Images of the inside of the building obtained by CBC Hamilton show what appears to be damage from explosives in some of the walls.

It's unclear how much damage was caused by police training as opposed to demolition.

Kroetsch said he's grateful there was a chance for some to use the building, like police training, but said there should be a proposal or process where developers share more about how the building is being or will be used, like if they plan to pause demolition.

"That's a gap. There's no formal process right now for developers to do that it all happens informally with the police reaching out," he said.

"They got there first. I think that's too bad because it could've been put to better use if it wasn't so widely destroyed."

He added there needs to be disincentives for developers who hold off their plans.

"I'm hopeful [City Centre] won't be that and it will actually be demolished in 2025," he said.

"But if this continues to linger, we have to intervene at some point."

Krotesch said his goal is to have a team return to the building to see how feasible it would be to set up a support for unhoused people.

The city said in an email building divisionstaff wouldn't inspect privately-owned buildings unless there were concerns aboutconstruction or demolition without permits, or concerns of a structurally unsafe building issues that haven't come up related to City Centre.

'I hate unused space,' developer says

Firsten, of IN8 Developments, said the goal is to go on sale with the project in late 2024 or early 2025.

If there's enough demand, he said, demolition will proceed.

He apologized to locals for not being able to start immediately, saying he is "itching to go."

In the meantime, Firsten said he's open to ideas for how else the building can be used ahead of demolition, including the potential to shelter people.

He noted the city's economic development team spoke to him on Thursday about using the space for filming and promotion.

"I said 'Sure, line them up.' I hate unused space. Unused space kills me," Firsten said.

Kim Adrovez, manager of creative industries and cultural development for the city, said in an email there are currently no film permit requests pending for this property. The city also said its economic development division has not approached the developer to use the space for any economic development related promotional videos.

Firsten said Kroetsch's idea to have a process about how developers use a building is a good idea.

"We wouldn't have said no to anyone [who wanted to use the space], whoever came to us first for the community benefit, we would've said, 'Sure, do it,'" he said.

"If there was a list the city had with the top priorities, we would've been happy to do it."

With that, Firsten also doesn't think the city can force a private developer to use a building in a certain way but he adds you "probably don't need to force it on them" because most developers "want to do good for the community."

"[Developers] are going to be happy to do it because their focus is the end game of building those units," he said.

Space isn't the only consideration for shelter

Michelle Baird, director of the city's housing services division, said identifying a vacant building may seem like a quick solution but is "far more complex" than people realize.

She said in an email a site would need to meet building codes and zoning requirements. There would also need to be a third party to operate it and you'd need to secure funding for staffing and operation costs.

Katherine Kalinowski, chief operating officer for the Good Shepherd, also said the amount of space isn't the only consideration when setting up a shelter or warming centre.

"It needs to be space that offers safety and dignity as far as possible to the people who are accessing," she said.

"It's also an issue of having adequate staff to provide support and services to the people who might use a space and that's very challenging in our current climate, much like in the health sector."

It's unclear how long it would take to set up a temporary shelter or warming or cooling centre in a vacant space like City Centre.

Kalinowski said there's no "one size fits all solution" to the issue and investing in short and long-term solutions is key.

Baird said the city is working toward"a whole-of-community and comprehensive approach" to address homelessness across Hamilton, saying the city needs help from all levels of government.

Kalinowski said on Friday afternoonshe was concerned about thesnow that was expected to hitHamilton and much of Ontario on Friday night.

"I can't help but be deeply alarmed that there are people who won't find a warm place both in the immediate moment and as the months go on. It's so concerning."