Investigating Hamilton's COVID-19 Shelter Hotel Program

Abstract

The City of Hamilton’s shelter and housing policy changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The City modified existing congregate shelters in accordance with public health guidelines and funded hotel rooms for use as overflow shelter spaces. We conducted this research in partnership with the Hamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN) to investigate what data was collected about the shelter hotel program, how the shelter hotels operated, and how the program is planned to end. The purpose was to better understand the program’s scale and effectiveness and support municipal strategies to help unhoused people.