Too many Hamiltonians are unhoused, and too many people worry about housing availability and affordability. People are sleeping in parks or hiding in ravines. That is not a solution to our health and housing crisis. It is a reflection of it.

We need all communities, groups and governments to come together to address this urgent crisis. We all need to give it attention and the support that all human beings deserve.

There are things I believe we can do to address the housing crisis.

Smart Use of Existing, New, or Senior Government Funds

• Earmark revenues from the new Vacancy Homes Tax for affordable housing investments.
• Create a municipal loan fund to create and preserve affordable housing units.
• Make supportive housing in Hamilton the number one funding priority for provincial and federal investment and support the ongoing work of the City’s anchor institutions to secure funding.
• Earmark revenues from selling surplus city lands for affordable housing and tie new revenue to housing policy priorities.

Fill Housing Policy Gaps

• Implement inclusionary zoning along the Hamilton LRT and around GO stations.
  Inclusionary zoning secures affordable units in new private sector housing development.
• End exclusionary zoning which restricts missing middle density in neighbourhoods to single-family housing.
• Pursue a renter displacement study with community partners to uncover the rate of residential tenant eviction notices and what factors combine to cause renter displacement. Use study results to inform policy actions.
• Support a housing first policy when it comes to identifying and assessing the use of city-owned surplus lands.
• Support using surplus city land in partnership with non-for-profit agencies to provide affordable housing
• Pursue a permit-ready Secondary Dwelling Unit (SDU) program. This would offer property owners a selection of pre-approved SDU building plans, speed up the building process, and reduce pre-construction fees. It would also provide diverse housing options throughout Hamilton.
• Accessible, affordable transportation choices are key to housing affordability. Mobility justice is a good housing policy and good for the local economy. Invest in transit, and invest in safe cycling infrastructure and ensure safe walkability.
• Extend the new rental licensing pilot program for wards 1, 8 and parts of 14 to the entire City of Hamilton.
• Create a family-friendly housing policy to require a minimum percentage of three-bedroom units in new multi-family projects.
• Rental Housing Licensing Pilot supporting safe, humane, healthy housing.
• Support short-term rental licensing

Support our unhoused residents and neighbourhoods

• Reinstate a housing/health first encampment protocol. It should be driven by community
  consultation and outreach to the unhoused, the health sector, neighbourhoods and other necessary community agencies.
• Advocate for our City’s health sector to decentralize its system of care to serve unhoused residents better.