In the past year, Ottawa’s housing prices have increased by 25-30%. Housing has become an investment, a commodity to build wealth. We have a housing market that incentivizes speculation, leading more and more people who rent vulnerable to losing their homes. Housing is not being treated as a basic human right, nor a fundamental tool to build a vibrant city. The people who work here are increasingly unable to live here.
With Prevention and Permanent Solutions, We Can End Homelessness
I want to start this with one critical number - zero. That’s the number of chronically homeless families in Waterloo’s shelters right now. London, Ontario recently reached zero chronic veterans homelessness. Medicine Hat has reached zero for overall chronic homelessness. Ending homelessness is not a pipe dream. It’s happening in communities across the country, and it’s happening now. But it requires a change in approach.
Ottawa Needs an Inclusive Neighbour-Friendly Approach to Homelessness
“I grew up in the Golden Triangle. I played in your playgrounds, went to your schools, ate in your restaurants. My family was part of the community. I was part of the community. Neighbours would pass by and smile. I was 13 when things changed. Not overnight. For a little while, I didn’t look different enough. In fact, I’d be met with concern instead. People would stop outside the Shepherds of Good Hope and ask if I was OK, or lost. I was still your neighbour then.”
Make Affordable Housing Truly Affordable: Alliance Response to Hazelview's Plan Amendment
The vote to approve Hazelview Properties’ Official Plan Amendment (OPA) has set a troubling precedent in the fight for affordable housing. The affordability standards defined by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are too low and members of the Herongate community have been left underserved. In the midst of a housing and homelessness emergency, this agreement misses the mark.
An Urgent Call to Amend the Plan: Alliance Deputation to City of Ottawa Planning Committee
We urge the City to renegotiate the terms of Hazelview's Official Plan Amendment (OPA) to create a more effective agreement for affordable housing. Despite significant efforts by City staff and Councillor Cloutier to negotiate the inclusion of affordable housing in the OPA for the Herongate community, the commitments by Hazelview are simply not good enough. As this deal with Hazelview is the first of its kind, it is critical to get this right.
We Must Move From Planning to Action: Alliance Deputation to City of Ottawa FEDCO and Community Protective Services Committee
Communities are reducing homelessness all over this country and showing that it can be done. Just two weeks ago, London, Ontario ended veterans' homelessness. Ottawa City Council declared a Housing and Homelessness Emergency last year in January, and while many of the key ingredients to reduce homelessness are outlined in the work plan, there is not enough urgency.
Ottawa Housing Blitz Update
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.
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