Housing

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Keeping your home

At risk of being evicted by your landlord?
Action Housing and Housing Help are two non-profit agencies that can help you keep your housing. Their services are free and confidential. They provide:

  • Advocacy and housing loss prevention services to low and moderate income Ottawa residents
  • Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal assistance for tenant and landlord disagreements.

If you live East of the Rideau Canal contact:
Action Housing
150 Montreal Rd, Suite 305
613-562-8219
info@action-logement.ca

If you live West of the Rideau Canal contact:
Housing Help
309 Cooper Street, Suite 502
613-563-4532
info@housinghelp.on.ca

Facts at a glance
  • The City’s Housing Services Branch administers and funds social housing in Ottawa.
  • There are approximately 22,500 community housing units.
  • Rental rates for those in receipt of Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) assistance within social housing are typically set according to the renter’s income, with households paying no more than 30 per cent of their income towards rent.
  • There are 51 independent non-profit housing organizations that operate social housing across the city.
  • The demand for social housing is much greater than the supply.
  • There are approximately 10,000 households on the Centralized Wait List for social housing.
  • Wait times for social housing in Ottawa can be up to five (5) years or more.

Addressing homelessness

People experiencing homelessness in Ottawa

Most people in Ottawa who are experiencing homelessness 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 and/or addiction issues. Others are newcomers to the city who cannot find affordable housing. In 2015, there were 6,825 individuals who accessed an emergency shelter.

One of the key components of the City's 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan is the implementation of the Housing First service model. Housing First prioritizes people experiencing homelessness for housing and supports based on how deep their needs are for support services and the length of time they have been homeless. Housing First uses a common assessment tool amongst referring agencies. People with the highest needs are able to access housing and supports more quickly. Providing a person who is homeless with housing and the necessary supports to stay housed leads to a better quality of life and is far less costly than staying at an emergency shelter.

Learn more about the City's Housing First Program [ 980 KB ] Opens in a new tab or window.

The City's 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan aims to achieve the following outcomes by 2024:

  • No one is unsheltered
  • Chronic homelessness is eliminated
  • Emergency shelter stays are less than 30 days
  • Emergency shelters provide an adequate level of service

Housing services for people experiencing homelessness

The City of Ottawa's Housing Services branch ("Housing Services") funds community agencies that, in turn, help people who experience homelessness 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 subsidizes approximately 950 permanent shelter spaces in two City-operated family shelters, eight community shelter providers and overflow facilities as needed. Shelter operators provide a variety of services including meals, a place to sleep, and case management, including practical assistance. They also ensure 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.
  • Support services – There are two types of support services:
    • Supported Housing: Using a case management approach, support workers assist clients with activities provided in their own homes through scheduled visits, such as life skills to support independent living. Individuals live in scattered units across the city including units that are block-leased by the service provider.
    • Housing-Based Case Management: Housing-Based Case Managers assist people who are unsheltered and/or in emergency shelters to find appropriate housing, learn relevant life skills, and promote an improved quality of life by facilitating timely access to community supports, thereby enhancing housing stability and supporting long-term housing retention. Hours of service provision are flexible to meet the needs of the clients including some evening and weekend availability and/or access to additional crisis supports, such as a 24/7 crisis line. Housing Services funds 10 agencies to provide this service to adults and youth with a total of 34 Housing-Based Case Managers.
  • 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
    • Supporting people experiencing homelessness by preventing or reducing potential harm and connecting them to health and social services

Finding an emergency shelter

Emergency shelters offer meals, a place to sleep, and case management, including practical assistance. They also make sure 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 housing in the community. There are eight shelter agencies in Ottawa that provide these services to different population groups such as men, women, families, and youth.

If you or someone you know needs shelter, please call the City and make a request for placement. A placement officer will refer you to the best available shelter.

  • Call 3-1-1
  • Toll-Free: 1-866-261-9799
  • TTY: 613-580-2401

Homelessness resources

Ottawa

Canada

Other

For more information about housing-related services for people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa, call Housing Services at 3-1-1 or email housing-logement@ottawa.ca.

Ottawa Emergency Shelter Standards (OESS) and Ottawa Transitional Housing Program Standards (OTHPS)

The City of Ottawa is committed to delivering high quality services that improve the lives of families and individuals experiencing homelessness. In 2018, the City of Ottawa undertook a process to update the 2005 Ottawa Emergency Shelter Standards [ 840 KB ] Opens in a new tab or window and Ottawa Transitional Housing Program Standards [ 624 KB ] Opens in a new tab or window. The process included consultations with internal and external stakeholders, including people with lived experience and/or housing precariousness. The standards are used to complete annual reviews, annual program reviews and 30-month compliance reviews with City of Ottawa funded emergency shelters and transitional housing programs.

Read the 2021 Ottawa Emergency Shelter Standards and 2021 Ottawa Transitional Housing Program Standards Report [ 186 KB ] Opens in a new tab or window.

Getting involved

You can make a difference to address homelessness in Ottawa. Get involved by:

Working together to prevent and reduce homelessness

Reaching Home is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. Each year, the City submits a report to the federal government that highlights the work the community has done so far to achieve its’ goals. The report shows a year-over-year picture of the state and system in place to address homelessness.

More information: