RVs and trailers on empty north end lot told to leave

The City of Hamilton is warning people living in RVS and trailers on empty land in the north end they have to leave the property or they’ll be fined or towed.

The vulnerable people living there say it’s devastating news, Heather Grant who lost her husband this week says this is the place she calls home.

After living in tents for months, Grant, her husband Tim, and their two dogs found refuge in a trailer in Hamilton’s north end. But on Tuesday, Tim died.

“I went into my trailer, and I was shining a light on because he has one certain spot to sit.” She says, “and he wasn’t there so I got kinda worried. And then I shone my light over there, and he was laying down there.”

Four hours after finding her husband’s body, Grant saw a paper on her door. The City of Hamilton issued 10 notices of “impending parking enforcement” for the trailers and RVS on the municipally-owned property by Barton Street West and Tiffany Street.

READ MORE: St. Catharines modular homes project set to aid with homelessness

Grant is upset about the notice and says she wishes she had more time to grieve after her husband’s death.

The deadline to vacate has been extended to early to mid-March, but initially, the vehicles had to leave by Sunday at midnight.

Heather and at least 7 people have been living in the RVS and trailers at this location for months. There are no trespassing signs posted on the fencing, but the people who live there say they have nowhere else to go.

According to city protocol, up to five tents are permitted on some municipally-owned land, but RVS are not a part of that.

READ MORE:  City approves $50,000 in funding for temporary shelter at Welland church

Grant says the city is offering them free 3-month hotel stays but they would have to leave their pets behind.

Some say that leaving their pets is not something they are willing to do.

Grant says she doesn’t know what she is going to do, “because we have nowhere to go,” and it is a very tough situation.

CHCH News reached out to The City of Hamilton on Friday but did not hear back. According to the city’s latest data from January, nearly 1,600 people are homeless in Hamilton, with just 320 beds available in the shelter system – that’s about 20 per cent.

CHCH also reached out to the city to request an interview with Mayor Andrea Horwath, but they were not able to accommodate our request.