Ottawa Construction News staff writer
Two key City of Ottawa committees have greenlit a major refresh of the city’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan, pivoting toward a more flexible, income-based model to combat the city’s ongoing housing crisis.
In a joint meeting on Tuesday (March 24), the Planning and Housing Committee and the Community Services Committee approved the updated roadmap, which serves as the primary strategy for housing stability through 2030. The refreshed plan now moves to a full City Council vote scheduled for April 8.
A shift in strategy
The most significant policy shift in the refreshed plan is the introduction of a new income-based definition of housing affordability. Moving away from traditional market-rent metrics tied to unit size, the city will now define affordability based on household income.
City officials say this approach acknowledges that true affordability is determined by what a resident can actually pay, rather than a percentage of fluctuating market rates. This change is intended to help the city better plan for the specific types of affordable homes required across various demographics.
Moving to annual workplans
Departing from rigid, long-term planning cycles, the city will now rely on annual workplans. This change is designed to allow the municipal government to respond more rapidly to emerging pressures, such as sudden shifts in the housing market or changes in provincial and federal funding levels.
If the plan receives final approval from Council, staff will co-develop the first annual workplan with the Housing and Homelessness Leadership Table (HHLT) later this year. Immediate priorities for the first cycle include:
- Ending youth homelessness: Advancing a specific strategy to eliminate youth homelessness by 2030.
- Shelter modernization: Redesigning family shelter and transitional housing systems to accelerate the move to permanent housing.
- Coordinated outreach: Establishing more consistent support for residents living unsheltered through a redesigned outreach model.
- Indigenous-led initiatives: Strengthening support for approaches developed by Indigenous partners.
Construction and investment progress
The refresh comes at the five-year mark of the original 2020–2030 plan. Since that 2020 update, the City of Ottawa reports that approximately $1 billion in combined municipal, provincial, and federal funding has been invested into the system.
According to city data, these investments have resulted in:
- The creation of 554 new affordable homes and 329 supportive homes.
- The addition of 700 new transitional housing spaces.
- The preservation of more than 25,000 community housing units.
- Provision of 3,279 new housing benefits for low-income households.
The city also recently purchased new sites for future development, including the property at 1245 Kilborn Place.
Sector collaboration
The refreshed plan was co-designed with the HHLT, an 18-member working group representing diverse sectors including youth, justice, newcomer support, and gender-based violence. Key partners in the collaboration included the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, Ottawa Community Housing, and the Ottawa Social Housing Network.
“This collaboration has ensured it reflects real-world expertise from across the housing and homelessness system,” the city stated in its release, noting that the plan was further informed by the 2024 Housing Needs Assessment and recent Point-in-Time counts.
Looking ahead, the city intends to update its Housing Services Long Range Financial Plan during the next term of Council to ensure long-term investments align with these renewed goals.
