The residential care sector is in “crisis,” say a group of Hamilton researchers, despite the facilities being one of few housing options for the thousands of people who require assistance in their daily lives.

According to city data, there are more than 60 licensed residential care facilities in Hamilton.

An August report by the Juravinski Integrated Residential Care Initiative says residential care facilities (RCFs) no longer support “the complex needs of today’s residents” and the sector is also governed by “outdated legislation.”

The result is that we’re “putting a lot of people with extremely high needs into one place with very, very little support,” research scientist Chi-Ling Joanna Sinn said in an interview.

She’s co-lead on the research project, which the Juravinski Researc

See Full Page