At last week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe introduced a motion that could see sweeping actions in 2027 to address homelessness in Ottawa, specifically as it relates to supportive housing.
“Investing in supportive housing is a long-term investment that shifts spending from emergency response to prevention and stability,” said Sutcliffe. “It improves access to care, reduces ambulance trips, emergency visits, and hospital stays, and improves safety, security, and well-being.”
In 2024, approximately 3,000 people experienced homelessness in Ottawa, with around 450 of those people on the waitlist for supportive housing. Sutcliffe noted that the current rate of building for supportive housing is insufficient, with the last person on the waitlist potentially having to wait up to 10 years for access to a unit.
Sutcliffe’s motion called on the City to become a national leader for addressing chronic homelessness through supportive and affordable housing, with staff mandated to consider the implementation of a dedicated Supporting Housing Fund as part of the 2027 budget.
The suggested fund would be expected to double the rate at which supportive housing units are currently built, allowing for the waiting time for access to a supportive housing unit to be reduced from 10 years to five.
Coun. Ariel Troster expressed her support for the motion, noting that the current state of homelessness in Ottawa is unacceptable.
“We saw in the City Auditor’s report on supportive housing, right now the people in the worst shape are not getting housed, and it’s very detrimental to their health and the health … and the security of our communities.”
According to a press release from the Ottawa Mission, one of Ottawa’s biggest shelters, 18,302 meals were served over the Easter long weekend.
“This is a new record for our Easter meal and more than five times the number of meals we served for Easter 2019 before the pandemic,” said the Mission’s Director of Food Services, Chef Ric Allen-Watson.
In a unanimous vote at last Wednesday’s council meeting, Sutcliffe’s motion passed. Although City staff have now been mandated to consider a Supportive Housing Fund in the 2027 budget, the 2026 mayoral election in October could still impact and shift priorities.
