Aimed at housing 100 households in 100 days, the Housing Blitz was a community-wide effort to get people housed quickly and learn more about the barriers to affordable housing in our city. The initiative was led by the City of Ottawa and the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, working closely with Indigenous housing partners.
By the numbers
30 households were able to find homes through the Blitz.
10 of those households were Indigenous.
36 volunteers worked with us. They made phone calls, gave crucial feedback, and helped shape the evolution of the program.
900 calls to landlords were made, resulting in 711 conversations.
42 landlords participated.
Why try a Housing Blitz?
Cities have had success with housing people through similar Blitzes. Every person housed is a success.
The pandemic changed the landscape of housing. Many AirBnBs weren’t able to host short-term stays; some students doing classes online may not have returned to Ottawa for the semester, and less people were moving in general.
We learn by trying. We knew we might not meet our goal. But could we mobilize our community to try? With everyone trying together, could we learn more about the barriers people face getting housed? The answer to both questions is yes.
What we learned
This is an opportunity for growth. We’re using what we’ve learned here for a long-term strategy connecting landlords to people in need of affordable housing.
Housing is not affordable. Yes, we knew that. But the documented average market rents in Ottawa aren’t able to reflect the changes the housing market has seen during this pandemic. Even with all of the resources, expertise, and energy to house people, finding affordable rentals was like finding a needle in a haystack.
People who experience homelessness face discrimination and stigma. This is another one we knew. Indigenous people encounter an added layer of discrimination. Learning more about the specific barriers Indigenous communities face in finding housing in our city helps us learn how to address it. We see the strength of racial equity movements and know we need housing approaches that create a more fair world, where housing is a human right for all.
The Housing Blitz was a strong, coordinated effort to have an immediate impact on our communities. Collectively, we found homes for 30 households. We know there’s a long way to go, that there are many more people to house, and keep housed. This is one step on that journey, with concrete impact. We thank every volunteer, every landlord, and every supporter who carried our vision. We couldn’t have done it without you.
By: Karen Umurerwa, Expert Steering Team Member
Housing and Mental Health in Black Communities
In 2012, my family made the hard decision to move from Rwanda to Canada. The transition from my homeland to Canada was the toughest process I could have gone through. Canada was a land of opportunities, but it was one that was completely foreign to us as we had no friends or family that could ease our integration.
By: Yetunde Amanda Ona
Embracing Identity: The Bonds of the African Diaspora
The following piece was written by Yetunde Amanda Ona who arrived in Canada 6 years ago with her young children as a refugee claimant. She navigated the homelessness system, and is now an Alliance staff member working to create a more effective and dignified housing and homelessness system. These are her reflections on identity and the African Diaspora.
By: Gail Gallagher
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Dec. 6th)
On this day, we remember the innocent lives lost and of the murder of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal on December 6, 1989. As a result of this tragic event, December 6 was designated as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
In addition, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence begins on November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on December 10 with International Human Rights Day. The 16 Days of Activism are an opportunity to come together to speak out and renew our commitment to end gender-based violence.
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