Homelessness Takes A Sad Turn
Homelessness in Ottawa has taken on a new and unfortunate wrinkle.
According to a recent auditor-general report, wait lists for supportive housing overlooks those with the most complex needs.
Mental health and addiction issues often go hand in hand with homelessness. Providing support and services to help those in need of a home is the responsibility of the city. However, the wait list is not based on the length of time a person has been waiting for a home nor is it based on need. It appears to be based on allocation of funding and what that funding relates to insofar as services provided.
Federal and provincial funding might be inadequate to meet all of the requirements as it is mainly for capital expenditures. Operating funds, provided by the City of Ottawa, are not sufficient to cover all the needs of those most affected in the community.
According to the audit, … “individuals who have been in the system the longest require intensive or specialized supports may never get housed because their needs are considered too high for the available supports.”
If there is insufficient support on site to reduce the number of emergency services, perhaps the time has come to revisit the city’s budget with the aim to provide adequate operating funds for these necessary services. In addition to this, conversations with the federal and provincial partners are in order.
Homelessness has been an ongoing issue for decades yet it seems to not be a priority for the different levels of government. Maybe the auditor general’s report on the combination of homelessness, mental illness and addiction is timely. Homelessness isn’t going to go away by ignoring the problem and failing to address the dire need for those most vulnerable means that we, as a city, have failed.
Everyone counts.
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Thank you for the excellent article highlighting the urgent need to address homelessness. However, it missed the mark slightly on who resides in public housing.
The majority of public housing residents include seniors, people living with disabilities, single parents—many raising children with special needs—newcomers to Canada, and individuals surviving on minimum-wage jobs. Unfortunately, these vulnerable communities are increasingly sharing buildings with drug dealers and sex workers.
Since 2022, the government has mandated that Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) and publicly funded co-ops accept applicants based solely on their position in the central registry. While this system aims to be fair, it’s open to manipulation. Some manage to “jump the line,” and buildings that should be sanctuaries have become sites of increasing violence and exploitation. And often, the City uses these residences for urgent placement which often means straight from the strret…with no services to adjust/
OCH staff and police do care, but their hands are tied by policy. mandate and stretched budgets. As one mother told me through tears, “We just want a safe place to raise our kids.”
Let’s listen to her—and to the families trying to thrive under impossible conditions.
This problem has been exacerbated by Justin Trudeau’s “immigration policy without a plan”. Two million people entering Canada in a 4-year period has been a disaster for this country. Additionally, I have heard rumour that Mark Carney plans to grow the country’s population to 100,000,000. So, Mark, what’s the plan?