The Ottawa Mission - #TakeActionForHomelessness

Homelessness in Ottawa and across our province and country has reached epidemic levels. In 2020, Ottawa City Council declared a homelessness emergency. Homelessness has marginally declined since then, but remains higher than it was in 2014 when Council’s first housing plan was launched.

Please let the provincial candidate in your riding know that it’s important to:

1) Increase the supply of affordable & supportive housing by:

Banning “demovictions” to support tenants and preserve housing.
Increasig public acquisition of private market housing supply through dedicated funding.
Converting unused buildings into housing through providing financial and policy incentives.
Implementing inclusionary zoning requiring affordable units within in new builds.
Increasing new builds of supportive housing by not-for-profit service providers through dedicated funding.

2) Prevent people from becoming homelessness by:

Increasing rent supplements, portable housing benefits, and rents geared to income through diversion of monies for housing in offsite hotels and changes in provincial-municipal funding.
Increasing support for assistance with arrears and rent and security deposits through establishing a rent bank with interest-free loans.
Banning “renovictions” and evictions related to Covid-19.

3) Increase social supports for people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness by:

Increasing support for education, job training, mental health conditions and substance use to support vulnerable people on their journeys to recovery and independence.
Enacting a basic income program to reduce poverty as a primary factor in homelessness.

4) Address structural barriers to assistance by:

Challenging stigma concerning homelessness through public education campaigns.
Increasing accountability and transparency through regular reporting.

5) Prioritize populations most at risk of homelessness by:

Including those who are chronically homeless, with physical or mental health conditions, or addictions, fleeing violence, who are Indigenous, racialized and LGBTQ2I+, and live in a family group through expanding emergency, transitional and permanent housing options.

Ontario Provincial Election

The Ontario provincial election is underway, and we can ensure that every candidate knows how important it is to #TakeActionForHomelessness.

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Dear [recipient position will go here] [recipient name will go here],

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Homelessness in Ottawa and across our province has reached epidemic levels. In 2020, Ottawa City Council declared a homelessness emergency. Homelessness has marginally declined since then, but remains higher than it was in 2014 when Ottawa City’s Council’s first housing plan was launched.

We can end homelessness through:

1. Increasing the supply of affordable & supportive housing by: banning “demovictions” to support tenants and preserve housing; increasing public acquisition of private market housing supply through dedicated funding; converting unused buildings into housing through providing financial and policy incentives; increasing new units of affordable housing through inclusionary zoning; and increasing new builds of supportive housing through dedicated funding.

2. Preventing people from becoming homelessness by: increasing rent supplements, portable housing benefits, and rents geared to income through diversion of monies for housing in offsite hotels and changes in provincial-municipal funding; increasing support for assistance with arrears and rent and security deposits through establishing a rent bank with interest-free loans; and banning “renovictions” and evictions related to Covid-19.

3. Increasing social supports for people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness by: increasing support for education, job training, mental health conditions and substance use to help vulnerable people on their journey to recovery and independence; and enacting a basic income program to reduce poverty as a primary factor in homelessness.

4. Addressing structural barriers to assistance by: challenging stigma concerning homelessness through public education campaigns; and increasing accountability and transparency through regular reporting.

5. Prioritizing populations most at risk of homelessness, including those who are chronically homeless, with physical or mental health conditions, or addictions, fleeing violence, Indigenous, racialized and LGBTQ2I+, and live in a family group through expanding emergency, transitional and permanent housing options.

As a candidate in this provincial election, I urge you to support these measures.

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

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