Firsthand
Someone from MoveIn visited the Wellington & Rebecca patch and was struck by the diversity of people who call it home. A family of Somalians were outside one of the buildings. Many of those seen were from Africa, India, and a host of Middle Eastern nations… and many of the women are partially or completely covered. At the same time, there are many from traditional Canadian backgrounds as well.

The Landscape
Walking into the Wellington & Rebecca patch, you’ll find that crossing the road can change things dramatically. Two of the area’s three prominent apartment buildings face each other on Rebecca street. Measuring some fifteen to twenty stories high, one is a general rental building and the other is government housing. A quick perusal of the building directories shows that a cascade of different nations are represented in each. You can hear the voices of some residents as they enjoy a quiet evening out on their balconies - some in English, some in tongues you don’t know. Just north on Wellington is the other high rise, a massive complex full of more interesting people. Surrounding all of these buildings are townhouses and detached homes - nothing fancy or extravagant, just humble abodes - quiet homes full of people. This patch is right next door to of Hamilton’s most prominent mosques.

The Ferguson patch consists primarily of the following three buildings:

• 125 Wellington Street North
• 226 & 235 Rebecca Street

The People
In the census strip that is most closely aligned to the Wellington & Rebecca patch:¹

• Population in 2006 was 2,597.
• The population density is 5,861 people per square kilometre compared with Hamilton’s 505/km2 average.
• 34% of adults are married.
• 30% of families are lone-parent families - 90% of those are led by women.
• The 2005 median income for all private households was $31,575 (this includes the middle class areas nearby), compared with a median of $71,989 for the rest of Hamilton.
• 55% of residents’ mother tongues are something other than English or French.
• Similarly, 49% of the population are immigrants.
• 14% of residents over age 15 have a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree.
• The 2006 unemployment rate was 10.7%, compared with 6.4% in the rest of Hamilton.
• 67% of residents work within the immediate area (within the few blocks of the census strip).
• 46% of the population are visible minorities.

The History
Called the “Steel City” by some, Hamilton is home to approximately 500,000 people who are split between the downtown core (including the Wellington & Rebecca patch) and the suburbs up on the Niagara Escarpment (more commonly known locally as “the mountain”).

The Challenge
From government housing to market rent, from high-rise to detached homes and townhouses, from the “well off” to the “barely scraping by”, the Wellington & Rebecca patch is full of need that can only be met by Jesus. Will you take Him there? Will you move in?

Sources
¹All statistics in the section taken from Census tract profile for 0049.00 (CT), Hamilton (CMA) and Ontario