Homelessness

Housing Homeless People

Who are Ottawa's homeless people?
Housing services for homeless people
A work in progress...
Want more information?

Who are Ottawa's homeless people?

Most homeless people in Ottawa are men, women, youth and children who have lost their homes because they have either suffered abuse, lost their jobs, faced unmanageable living expenses, or have mental health or addiction problems. Others are newcomers to the city who cannot find affordable housing.

There are other homeless people in Ottawa besides the men, women and children who fill Ottawa's emergency shelters each night. On any given night in Ottawa, there may be from 16 to 45 people sleeping outside. Typically, such individuals will be spending some nights that month in emergency shelters, some "couch surfing" (i.e. staying with friends or family, often in very overcrowded conditions), and perhaps some as tenants of private market housing such as rooming houses.

Hundreds of other people are at risk of becoming homeless, including those in households that pay 70 per cent or more of their income for rent, as well as those living in unsafe rental units.

Housing services for homeless people

The City of Ottawa Housing Branch funds community agencies that, in turn, help homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless. This collaborative effort has developed into a system of services that ranges from preventing homelessness to helping people find permanent housing.

• Emergency Shelters - the City of Ottawa subsidizes approximately 1,000 shelter spaces in two City operated family shelters, eight community shelters and overflow facilities as needed. Shelter operators provide a variety of services including meals, shelter and case management, ensuring that all clients are assessed and referred to the social and health services they need. Each shelter has a housing support worker to help clients find long-term housing and settle into the community. No one who needs emergency shelter is turned away. If all the shelters are full, the City arranges for alternative emergency accommodation.
• Support Services - City of Ottawa, provincial and federal funding is used to help community partners provide street outreach services, and tenant support in supportive and social housing and in rooming houses. There is also a network of housing loss prevention workers throughout the community, as well as two agencies that provide assistance in finding affordable permanent housing.
• Outreach – The City also funds a number of homelessness outreach teams whose functions include helping people who are on the street to access emergency shelters and to obtain housing.

A work in progress...

The City of Ottawa will continue to focus on building the community's capacity to better meet the needs of homeless people. New funding from the federal government will be used to increase the number of transitional and supportive housing units (affordable housing with supports that help the residents live as independently as possible).

The City of Ottawa is committed to making sure that the number of homeless families and individuals is reduced. While, at the same time ensuring that homeless people receive the services they need.

Want more information?

For more information about housing-related services for homeless people in Ottawa, contact the City of Ottawa at 3-1-1 or at housing-logement@ottawa.ca.

Ottawa's 2009-2014 Community Plan on Homelessness

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