New city dashboard offers housing and homelessness data in Hamilton

More than 1,500 people were actively experiencing homelessness in Hamilton as of March, according to a new dashboard the city will use to track shelter space and housing affordability.

The online tool, launched Tuesday, is part of efforts to meet housing needs and find permanent homes for those living rough.

It's called the Housing and Homelessness Dashboard and will share data quarterly.

The first update shows1,596 people had used Hamilton's shelter system at least once in the three months prior to March 2022.

There were 248 people who were "newly experiencing homelessness" and 226 who left the shelter that same month.

It also lists the city's shelter capacity at 693 beds and shows most types of shelter space were at or near 100 per cent capacity last month.

Quarterly data may leave'gaps' in understanding

But some are questioning how muchthose experiencing homelessness had in developing the dashboard and question whether the humancontext behind the numbers is hidden, like the encampments dotted across the city.

"It's a welcome starting point regarding public access to data," saidVicWojciechowska,a member of theHamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN).

"[But] evidence-based initiatives like this can also be code for using data and numbers to justify processes that don't actually centre unhoused and precariously-housed community members."

Listing the number of shelter spaces and occupancydoesn't explain the many reasons, including safety concerns and conditions, that lead people to avoid them, saidWojciechowska.

Without considering all the factors,the dashboard could be used to paint a picture of a successful system, despite the reality beingdifferent, they said.

Wojciechowskapointed out the dashboard doesn't cover the number of overdoses, deaths and people barred from shelters for various reasons.There's also the question ofthose who are housed temporarily before endingup in an encampment again.

There's a big difference between the number of people forced torely on shelters to survive the cold, but leave in summer,Wojciechowskaadded, suggesting quarterly data will leave "gaps."

Angie Burden, general manager of Hamilton's healthy and safe communities department, said the dashboard will "support greater transparency and understanding of how our systems are functioning" as well as highlight "local pressures" and lead to "data-informed actions."

The metrics the dashboard includes don't cover all of the work and investment, the city said in a media release.

Instead, itcomplements existing reporting efforts around housing and homelessness such as thePoint in Time Connection, a survey that provides a snapshot of homelessness and supports.

The city says "additional metrics" will be added as reporting capabilities grow.

A 'positive step,' says Missions Services

The dashboard also includes the average market rent citywide, revealinga steady rise from $901 in 2016 to$1,190 in 2021.

It shows a total of 6,647 households are on the city's housing wait list as of 2020 an increase of about 400 compared to the year before. Roughly nineper cent of people on the list (662)were housed in 2020.

A representative for Mission Services said the organization was "excited" to see the city data on display.

"We know that quality data helps inform where as a system we need to improve and also helps identify where as a system we are realizing success," saidShawn MacKeigan, director of addictions and men's services.

"Being afforded the ability to leverage that information to help improve the speed with which we can connect people to the right supports and resources is certainly a positive step."