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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">April 26, 2016 <br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">Signs
of Progress alongside Emerging Challenges in updated Portrait of Homelessness
in Ottawa</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">The
latest Progress Report on Ending Homelessness (attached), providing a statistical overview
of homelessness in Ottawa in 2015 (January to December), was released by the
Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa on Tuesday, April 26. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">There
are signs of progress. For the first time in nine years, we see a reduction in
the average number of nights per year that individuals stay in emergency
shelters (from 78 days in 2014, to 73 days in 2015). This reduction may reflect
the results of targeted initiatives to implement Ottawa’s ten-year housing and
homelessness plan. The plan, passed in 2013, prioritizes permanent housing for
individuals with long histories of shelter use. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">“While
there are signs of progress in 2015, there remain some troubling facts: the
lowest number of new affordable homes created in ten years, a rise in the
numbers of families experiencing homelessness, and a growing proportion of
older adults among the homeless population,” noted Mike Bulthuis, Executive
Director of the Alliance.<span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">For
individuals and families who become homeless, a quick return to permanent
housing, along with connections to services, is paramount. However, while
additional units are under construction, only 46 new affordable homes
(including new units and new subsidies) were created in 2015. The number – the
lowest since 2005 - is insufficient to respond to the 10,099 Ottawa households
on the Centralized Waiting List for subsidized housing.<span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">Overall,
4.9% more individuals stayed at an emergency shelter in 2015 compared to 2014 (rising
to 6,825 individuals in 2015 from 6,508 individuals in 2014). This increase is
almost entirely attributable to a rise in family homelessness. John Sylvestre,
Director, Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, University
of Ottawa, notes: “In 2015, more than one in five of Ottawa’s shelter users
were children aged 17 and under. While local programs have contributed to
significantly reducing the likelihood that families return to homelessness once
becoming housed, it is clear that the cost of housing is a barrier for more and
more families.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">“In
Ottawa, we need to build on what is working and direct our collective attention
to other areas of concern,” noted Bulthuis. “As 2015 ended, attention from
senior levels of government and from within the community was clear. This is
the time to translate commitments to meaningful action.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">The
entire Report (in English and French) can be accessed at: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://endhomelessnessottawa.ca/2015-progress-report/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">http://endhomelessnessottawa.ca/2015-progress-report/</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria">A special insert on Family Homelessness in Ottawa is attached, and can also be accessed (in English and French) online at: <a href="http://endhomelessnessottawa.ca/research-snapshots/" target="_blank">http://endhomelessnessottawa.ca/research-snapshots/</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Cambria"><br></span></p><br>-- <br><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><b>Mike Bulthuis</b><br>Executive Director<br><br><span style="color:rgb(11,83,148)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b>Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa</b></span></span><br>171 George Street, Ottawa ON K1N 5W5<br>Office: <a href="tel:613-241-1573%20x%20314" value="+16132411573" target="_blank">613-241-1573 x 314</a><br>Mobile: <a href="tel:613-222-9831" value="+16132229831" target="_blank">613-222-9831</a><br></div></div></div></div>
</div>
<br><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div><div><b>Mike Bulthuis</b><br>Executive Director<br><br><span style="color:rgb(11,83,148)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b>Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa</b></span></span><br>171 George Street, Ottawa ON K1N 5W5<br>Office: 613-241-1573 x 314<br>Mobile: 613-222-9831<br></div></div></div><br>