The importance of affordable housing

By Allison Hockin, Guest blogger

​No doubt most people reading this post have a safe, affordable home to sleep in at night but unfortunately that is not the reality for many people across the city. There are hundreds of Ottawans who spend their nights in shelters, in encampments, and on the street. And then there are thousands more who may have a roof over their heads but might not have eaten dinner or paid their hydro bill because their housing is simply not affordable. With more than 10,000 households on the centralized waiting list for housing in Ottawa, the demand for a safe and affordable place to live in this city far outpaces available homes and the construction of new affordable homes.
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As a Rental Officer with Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC), another affordable housing provider in Ottawa, every day I see the impact that an affordable home has on someone’s life. Whether it’s a single mother and her children fleeing an abusive relationship or a refugee family settling in Canada after escaping a war, securing affordable housing can have a huge impact. Affordable rent for someone could mean they can return to school to upgrade their skills and get a better job, which might eventually lead to them no longer needing subsidized housing. It can be very rewarding to offer someone an apartment through the centralized waiting list and equally rewarding to watch a long-time tenant move out because they’ve been able to buy their first house.

I interact with a diverse tenant population every day, from new Canadians to families to people living with HIV/AIDS and everyone in between. A mixed tenant population is what creates a rich community but it’s also not without its challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for many people and we’ve seen firsthand the impact it has had on our tenants’ lives. Many tenants lost their jobs or had to pivot to online learning at home, while others found the pandemic challenging for their mental health. We also saw delays in construction projects with the pandemic, which means new tenants are waiting even longer before they can move in to their new homes.
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Studies have also shown that individuals with stable, affordable housing tend to have better health outcomes, both mentally and physically, but housing is only one piece of the puzzle. We also need proper health care, affordable education, fare wages, and better social supports. MHI’s upcoming affordable housing project, Dream at LeBreton Flats, will see the addition of 601 new rental units in Ottawa, with 41% of the units earmarked as affordable housing. These new affordable rental units will play a role in helping to house individuals and families in Ottawa who may have been waiting for many years for an affordable place to live or who may have been living in the shelter system for some time. With  more purpose-built affordable rental units created in the future, one day we will no longer need to dream about ending homelessness in Ottawa.

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