Homeless get short shrift in election
Too much focus on shelters, says head of The Ottawa Mission
Too much of the discussion about homelessness during the municipal election campaign has focused on the controversial relocation of a shelter to Vanier, rather than creating more homes for poor people, the executive director of The Ottawa Mission says. “I think some people, including ourselves, would like to hear what the plan is,” Peter Lilley said Thursday. “The only dialogue has been from some of the candidates who have taken the stage in Vanier or in the downtown core, to stand outside some of the shelters and make announcements about the challenges with the shelters in the downtown core and the challenge of the shelters possibly moving to Vanier. “That has been a very negative dialogue. We’re hoping to see more positive dialogue on some big-picture, long-term housing solutions and what some of the candidates are proposing to work with the federal government on that.” Time is running out for council hopefuls to pitch ideas and make commitments on reducing poverty and boosting affordable housing in Ottawa.
The municipal election is Monday. There was a massive spike in the number of homeless families needing emergency shelters last year. The city had a $5.7-million deficit in its emergency-shelter program last year, illustrating the sudden influx of resources that were required to help those in dire need. The city needs to rent motel and hotel rooms if its two emergency shelters fill up. Resources have also been stretched because of an increase in asylum seekers arriving in Ottawa from the United States. The city launched a 10-year homelessness plan in 2014 with the goal of ending chronic homelessness, a term that refers to someone who has been homeless for at least six months of the year and who has spent more than 180 nights in a shelter. Chronic homelessness increased between 2014 and 2017, according to the Alliance to End Homelessness. At the Mission, staff have been putting nearly 20 mats on the chapel room floor every night because the shelter is full. “That’s normally the backup plan for the cold Canadian winter,” Tilley said. “It’s going to get more challenging.” The Salvation Army’s planned shelter relocation from the By Ward Market to Vanier has called into question the priorities of shelters. But Tilley said there’s a false perception that shelters are working in contradiction to “housing first” goals. Workers at the Mission placed 230 people into housing last year by working with landlords, he said. Mark Taylor, the outgoing Bay ward councillor, who has been the mayor’s special liaison on housing and homelessness, says he’s disappointed by the small amount of dialogue on housing and poverty issues during the election campaign. “I wish there would have been more, that’s for sure,” Taylor said. Taylor worked with the Alliance to End Homelessness earlier this month in organizing a forum to educate election candidates on housing issues. He said the event was well-attended, but he has since watched election campaigns centre on physical infrastructure, such as the LRT, while leaving out social infrastructure. “I think it’s because a lot of the time in municipal elections, if there isn’t a big fight at the mayoral level, then the discussion gravitates toward individual wards,” Taylor said. “More discussion around affordable housing, homelessness and supportive housing could have been had. Had it taken place at the mayoral level, then you probably would have seen more discussions at the ward level.” Mayoral incumbent Jim Watson released his housing platform Thursday, vowing to pursue “inclusionary” zoning to mandate affordable units in new developments and locate more affordable mixed communities along the LRT line. He won re-election in 2014 on a promise to increase the city’s affordable-housing funding by $2 million annually, for a total of $16 million. In 2010, he was elected on a promise to add $14 million to affordable-housing programs. Clive Doucet, Watson’s main challenger in the 2018 mayoral race, released his housing platform earlier in the campaign. If elected, he would implement a zoning policy that mandates affordable units, direct added tax revenue from intensification to affordable housing and launch a bylaw that preserves rental units. Just west of downtown, the Somerset West Community Health Centre is worried about residents being priced out of that neighbourhood. Emilie Hayes, manager of community engagement at the health centre, said rooming houses, which provide affordable rental options, are being sold as new developments pop up. “It’s not about opposing that change,” Hayes said. “It’s about, how do we do it in a way that ensures, as we grow and evolve and change as a community, there’s still that affordability, there’s still that diversity in the community, that it supports people to stay in the community and that they’re not displaced by that change.” Hayes underscored a “crisis” in the availability of affordable housing that could use more attention during the election. “I know there has been some talk about it, but we would always like to see more discussion around that,” she said. Deirdre Freiheit, president and CEO of the Shepherds of Good Hope, believes the importance of housing affordability isn’t lost on the city. Freiheit has seen a discussion happening during the election about the housing challenges. She pointed to the Heron Gate community — where a landlord is demolishing aging units, forcing people to find other affordable homes — as one example that has fuelled concern about housing. “The debate is there. People are paying attention,” Freiheit said. “The challenge for us all is to move from the election and keep it going.”