Ottawa turns to temporary shelters as city searches for permanent housing solutions

The Dempsey Community Centre on Russell Road. (Google)

With pandemic-era temporary shelters still operating in Ottawa community centres, the city is looking to transition away from their use and find more permanent housing for vulnerable people.

But amid an increase in homelessness and sparse availability of affordable housing, some councillors are concerned about what could happen when the additional shelter space closes.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the city created "physical distancing centres" at several community centres to help limit overcrowding in Ottawa's homeless shelters.

Though they were only meant to operate for six months, three are still open, with one expected to close at the end of March.

Councillors passed a motion Wednesday that seeks to set a timeline for transitioning away from the system, with a goal to stop using the community centres by August.

Donna Gray, the city's general manager of community and social services, told the council that 200 people have been transitioned from the centres into permanent housing so far.

She told reporters on Wednesday that the city is aware of a population of another 200 people who are in a continual state of homelessness.

But only 86 affordable housing units are currently being built, and the timeline for people to move in is up in the air because they are still under construction.

"We are seeing in every large city an increase of individuals falling into homelessness," said Gray.

"We have a housing crisis where we do not have the supply of affordable housing and the affordability for people to be able to find housing."

Temporary shelters at Jim Durrell Recreation Centre and Dempsey Community Centre are remaining open until further notice, while another at the Saintlo Ottawa Jail Hostel is expected to close at the end of March.

Some city councillors say they worry about what would happen if the community centre-based shelters close, and how vulnerable people such as youth could be affected.

Coun. Marty Carr says the city needs to invest in more supportive housing so that community centres don't need to carry the burden of homelessness.

The cost of their operation is currently coming out of the broader community services budget, and is eating into the revenue from community programs.

Carr said she has toured some of the centres, which contain separate rooms and provide six to eight beds. The diverse population accessing the space includes students who are unable to afford housing and people who are unemployed, she said.

"What it's given us is a model where people can access these centers at any time of day, where there's a wraparound support," she said.

"City staff completely pivoted to a new model of care, and they had to hire staff to basically deliver social services 24/7."

Funding is stretched thin, with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe calling this year's budget a "tight" one.

City staff say they're partnering with local organizations and looking to upper levels of government for financial support, including through the federal government's Rapid Housing Initiative.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2023.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.