Following the service on February 18th concerned members of the congregation gathered in Fellowship Hall and shared their thoughts about the Encampment Policy and Protocols at our church.
Below is an extensive list of what the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton is doing to advocate for and how we support organizations that work with our unhoused neighbours. Affordable Housing Co-chair Bill Johnston, housing@uuhamilton.ca
Current activities of the Affordable Housing Team
- Ongoing fundraising and support for Sacajawea Non-Profit Housing Inc., one of just two Indigenous-led non-profit housing providers in Hamilton. We have supported Sacajawea since 2016 and donated something like $50,000, including another $5,000 from the 2023 Christmas Eve collection. We toured several Sacajawea sites in December.
- Organized letters to federal, provincial and Hamilton politicians at our November National Housing Day service for congregants to sign. Almost 500 letters were mailed.
- Briefs, approved by the church Board, to the federal and provincial 2024 budget consultations, similar to the issues raised in the congregant letters.
- Bill made a 2024 budget presentation to City Council, again based on the congregant letters.
- We have requested a meeting with Hamilton’s cabinet minister, MP Filomena Tassi.
- Working with St. Paul’s United Church, Dundas, we organized and delivered three public presentations on housing issues, mainly local and national, during 2023.
- The church supports the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters, including hosting a model home in our parking lot and hosting a HATS open house in June. Bill is lead researcher for HATS and a member of its Leadership Team.
- Working with Indwell, the YWCA and the Hamilton Community Benefits Network, we are organizing an event at our church, likely in April, to promote solutions, including highlighting the projects local affordable housing providers are ready to build, now, if funding is available, and the opportunities possible on publicly-owned land and as the LRT proceeds.
- We are encouraging congregants to share their experiences with housing, good and bad, to help ground our advocacy in our collective experiences. We plan to reach out to unions and employee organizations to share the challenges the people who work in this city have finding affordable homes.
- In the past, we have held other public events, including one on co-operative housing, and sent questions to city council candidates about their housing platforms. We have hosted a candidates meeting during the 2019 federal election focused on housing and climate issues.