Ottawa Emergency Shelter Crisis

The City of Ottawa is paying $3000+ per unit to 24 vulnerable, racialized families (some as large as 9 people) in cramped, subpar, apartments in Vanier. The landlord, a hotel owner, is pocketing $60,000+ a month in tax-payer money.

With so many families facing homelessness in Ottawa right now, we cannot afford to be frivolous with city resources. This money could be better spent to provide better living conditions and help more families. Land owners should not be profiting off of people’s misfortunes. We can do better.

The Rise Initiative joined a coalition of amazing organizations such as Ottawa Acorn, Canada Without Poverty, Equal Chance, Hit The Streets, Kind Space, The Vanier Community Association, and Make The Shift to send an open letter to Mayor Jim Watson and the City of Ottawa asking for changes to be made.

The Rise Initiative presented before the City of Ottawa's Community & Protective Services Committee asking them to re-examine the Vanier emergency housing arrangement, the importance of affordable housing and to review the budget with an equity and inclusion lens.

City Councillors Mathieu Fleury and Catherine McKenney put forward a notice of motion to move the 24 families into suitable housing and to cease the city's arrangement with the hotel owner. The motion is expected at the next Community & Protective Services Committee meeting in February.