This month, the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa (ATEHO) released their first of four progress reports on the state of homelessness in Ottawa. The municipal data analyzed underscores the dire state of Ottawa’s homeless crisis, and signals its growth.
Rationale from ATEHO:
Since 2005, the Alliance to End Homelessness has produced an annual Progress Report on Ending Homelessness in Ottawa to assess our community’s progress by comparing annual change in a number of areas.
In 2018, the City of Ottawa began an annual reporting process to monitor progress in delivering the 2014-2024 Plan on Housing and Homelessness. The Alliance will be providing review and commentary on the progress as documented by the City through the release of four papers in 2019/2020 on the following areas:
Rental Housing Affordability
Community Planning
Systems Level Approach
Homelessness Prevention
The Issue:
A critical problem in reducing homelessness is a very small, and shrinking stock of lower rent housing affordable to those on very low income.
For a snapshot of what homelessness currently looks like in our city, and for the ATEHO’s recommendations, please read the report (links below).
2 Responses
Now that the prices of rents has gone sky high, there will be even more people homeless. For example, a 2 bedroom apts. it is now at least $1500/mth, 1bedroom apts. $ 1000/mth, 3bedrooms apts. $2000/mth. This will affect those who are on disabilities, can’t find work, or can’t work for any reasons, students etc. Now, there will be even more people at the food bank.
I know that at the moment the waiting list at the registry is between 4-10 years and hope the government will do something about the rental housing affordability.
Thank you for your comment, Nathalie. With the increase of the number of people on the wait list, I don’t doubt the amount of time has also increased. It is truly unfortunately and is causing more barriers for people in need and setting them back even further. We agree – we need to see change in affordable housing, and we need to see it sooner rather than later.