Fire at Men’s Shelter – 325 James St North – Update
Update June 20, 2022
After an unexpected delay, Mission Services’ men’s shelter welcomed back most clients earlier this month. About two-thirds of the men previously in the building were able to return to beds on the first and second floors. The third floor, where the fire had the most impact, is still under repair and we hope to open it up soon.
We are very appreciative of the support of the community, your kind donations and inquiries. Thank you!
Update April 22, 2022
As you may be aware, there was a structure fire at our Men’s Shelter at 325 James St. N. on Thursday, April 14. All individuals in the building were evacuated quickly and safely, with no harm or injuries reported. All those staying in the shelter at the time were supported in finding new shelter, some at our overflow shelter at Four Points Hotel, as well thanks to the immediate help from our supportive community partners.
We are working to re-open the shelter as soon as we can however, as a result from the significant damage, we do not yet have a date as to when we will be able to do so. While the fire was thankfully confined to one floor of the building, there are concerns of smoke and water damage which we hope to have resolved as soon as possible.
We would like to once again, thank our Men’s Services team who acted quickly to ensure our clients were safely evacuated and taken care of as well as our Operations and Food Services teams for stepping up to support as well. We are thankful to the City of Hamilton and our partner agencies for their support during this time as well.
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Late this afternoon (April 14) there was a structure fire at our Men’s Shelter at 325 James St. N. – thankfully all clients and staff were evacuated safely. There is significant damage, and we cannot occupy the building tonight and likely for several days. Fortunately, we have found spaces for all 50 clients who were staying with us at the Shelter.
In addition to 18 clients who will be relocated to our shelter at the Four Points Hotel, our partner agencies have stepped up and the remainder of the clients will be sheltered at the Salvation Army and Good Shepherd. Transportation has been arranged to move all clients to these locations and this is underway. Trauma counselling will be made available to everyone involved.
Remediation work will begin tonight.
A huge thank you to the Men’s Services team who did an amazing job of ensuring the safety of clients and each other. Many thanks to our Ops and Food Services teams as well for stepping up to ensure that clients are looked after, and that the building will be repaired, and to the City and our partner agencies for their support.
