Hamilton's Housing and Support Services Subcommittee Reviews Gender-Based Homelessness Data

Hamilton's Housing and Support Services Subcommittee reviewed a report on gender-based homelessness data and repeatedly stressed that the numbers do not capture everyone experiencing homelessness. Staff said the data is useful for planning, but incomplete because it reflects people using city-funded programs and misses some people who avoid the shelter system, are turned away, or do not consent to have their information recorded. Committee members also raised concerns about unmet need among 2SLGBTQIA+ residents and asked how future reporting could better show service capacity and gaps.

Topics Discussed

1. GENDER-BASED HOMELESSNESS DATA AND ITS LIMITS

Staff told the committee the report should be used as a planning tool, not as a full count of homelessness in Hamilton. Robin said staff regularly review and verify the underlying information, explaining, "So, we've got a variety of reports that get reflected back to the service provider to say, can you confirm this is what's actually happening? And then there's a lot of back and forth done by the data team at the city to improve on those numbers."

Tammy Hwang also noted a specific gap in the data for people who choose not to participate in HIFIS, the homelessness information system. She said, "The other piece is where individuals choose not to be part of HYPHS. They do not have their information captured. There would be a gap there with respect to the populations that make up that number and that could certainly be a group that is both underrepresented and we're not capturing that demographic picture."

2. SHELTER CAPACITY AND WHAT THE DATA MISSES

Committee members discussed how shelter capacity affects both service access and the numbers reported to council. Maureen Wilson asked staff to clarify whether the figures reflected actual use or unmet demand, saying, "So on any given night in that 3-month period, that's how many people were accessing or that's how many people could have been trying to get to the service versus the service availability."

That exchange underscored a central issue in the meeting: the report tracks people who accessed services, but not everyone who may have needed them. Members said that when shelters are full, turnaways and hidden homelessness can make unmet need harder to measure through program data alone.

3. CONCERNS ABOUT 2SLGBTQIA+ ACCESS AND SAFETY

A major focus of the discussion was whether trans, non-binary, gender-diverse, and 2SLGBTQIA+ residents are underrepresented in the data because some do not feel safe using shelters. Tessa said, "the challenge we have seen particularly since opening Dorothy Day is we have fielded several calls from the TOSLGBTQIA plus community who's not connected into the shelter system due to feeling unsafe in accessing the shelter system. And so I think there is a large population's needs being unmet in Hamilton."

She asked how the city could improve outreach and better identify those needs. Staff said future system planning is underway, but the discussion made clear that committee members see this as a current service gap, not just a data issue.

4. SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION AND FUTURE REPORTING

Staff said broader homelessness system changes are already underway. Perry told the committee, "the major work that we've already began and over the next couple years is about systems transformation. So there's been um especially over the pandemic there's been a variety of um short-term temporary funding infusions from the province and the feds and that we've made local commitments from. And so, um, these next couple of years looking at systems transformation, we're we're taking the time to stabilize that funding, stabilize those investments, standardize um, funding models, standardize programming models."

Councillor Esther Pauls asked how many service partners are involved across the city's homelessness programs and whether future reports could include capacity information alongside demographic data. She said, "how many different partners are we working with um in a ballpark across these eight different program areas? and what would it take to maybe start thinking about given that that's probably a large number. How do we start including capacity data in this?"

That request aligned with the committee's broader concern that demographic breakdowns are more useful when paired with information about available spaces, turnaways, and unmet demand.

5. NEXT STEPS

Mayor Andrea Horwath signalled that the committee does not need to settle every issue immediately and can continue refining its approach. She said, "We have time in this term of council. We don't have to do everything live right now," adding that the committee could call more meetings, request future reports, and consider transition steps before making final recommendations.

The committee ultimately received the report for information and removed it from the outstanding business list, while indicating that more work on data, capacity, and underserved populations is still expected.

Motions

Passed: - Report received for information - Motion to remove the report from the outstanding business list

Attendees

Councillors and committee members identified in the discussion: - Mayor Andrea Horwath - Councillor Esther Pauls - Maureen Wilson - Tammy Hwang - Tessa

Staff and other speakers identified in the discussion: - Robin - Perry