Municipal Support for a National Plan to Reduce and End Homelessness
Moved by S. Plante Seconded byA. Troster WHEREAS homelessness has reached crisis levels in communities across Canada, placing growing pressure on individuals and families, municipalities, emergency shelters, health care systems, first responders, police services, and other community services; WHEREAS municipalities are on the front lines of the homelessness crisis, but do not have the fiscal capacity or jurisdictional authority to address its root causes alone; WHEREAS the current National Housing Strategy is set to expire in 2027-2028, creating an important opportunity for the Government of Canada to establish a renewed national approach focused not only on increasing housing supply, but on achieving measurable reductions in homelessness; WHEREAS the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has proposed a five-point plan for the next National Housing Strategy aimed at preventing homelessness, rapidly reducing chronic and unsheltered homelessness, and ensuring that people experiencing homelessness have access to housing and appropriate supports; WHEREAS this approach recognizes that ending homelessness requires coordinated action among federal, provincial and territorial, Indigenous, and municipal governments, as well as community housing and homelessness organizations; WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has made commitments to address homelessness and housing stability through an updated 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan 2026-2035 which focuses on having the housing and supports that people need to thrive; WHEREAS the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) program does not provide sufficient funding to allow municipalities to effectively address system pressures through proactive responses to homelessness, housing loss prevention and shelter diversion; WHEREAS the City of Ottawa’s auditor completed an audit of supportive housing and noted that supportive housing programs cannot meet the needs of individuals dealing with chronic homelessness without more coordination between capital, operating and health funding – which requires coordination at all three levels of government; WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has seen growing pressures in the homelessness system due to the toxic drug supply, increased prevalence and complexity in mental health challenges and addiction and a lack of deeply affordable housing; WHEREAS in 2025, the shelter system was accessed by 8,947 people and of those, 4,125 were experiencing chronic homelessness; and WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has seen a rising number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and an increase in the number of encampments year over year, with 545 encampments reported in 2025 and 1,176 unsheltered individuals receiving support. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT that Council endorse the following five priorities for inclusion in the next National Housing Strategy: 1.    Create a housing safety net to prevent homelessness Enhance the Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) so that funding levels are sufficient to address community needs. Enhanced funding will allow Ottawa to expand program eligibility beyond supporting exits from shelter to a more proactive approach that addresses homelessness through housing loss prevention and shelter diversion. In doing so, ensure that portable housing benefits complement, rather than replace, project-based operating assistance for affordable and supportive housing providers, and include mechanisms to maintain stable funding for housing providers when benefit recipients relocate. 2.    Invest in deeply affordable and supportive housing Make significant and sustained investments for capital and operating in deeply affordable, community and supportive housing, including the repair and preservation of existing affordable housing; expand housing options for Indigenous peoples in urban, rural and northern communities; and work toward substantially increasing Canada's non-market housing stock. 3.    Establish Intensive Housing for people with severe cognitive impairment and complex needs Create a dedicated program that supports municipalities with capital and operating funding to address housing needs for people experiencing homelessness because of severe and permanent cognitive impairment, acquired brain injury, serious mental illness and/or other complex health conditions. The program should have integrated health and housing funding to support those with highly complex needs.This should include a federal investment of $3.6 billion in capital funding to create a minimum of 6,000 Intensive Housing units across Canada, together with a sustainable operating funding framework developed with provinces and territories to provide the health and social supports required by residents. 4.    Establish a National Homelessness Strategy Embed a dedicated National Homelessness Strategy within the next National Housing Strategy, with clear and measurable targets for reducing homelessness; an initial focus on chronic, unsheltered and veteran homelessness; improved community-level data; and federal programs and housing investments aligned toward measurable homelessness reduction outcomes. 5.    Negotiate a Canada Housing Accord Establish a Canada Housing Accord among federal, provincial and territorial governments that sets shared national principles, measurable and time-bound outcomes, clearly defined responsibilities for each order of government, appropriate accountability mechanisms, and coordinated investments in housing and homelessness reduction. It should build on existing National Housing Strategy agreements by strengthening coordination, clarifying long-term roles and responsibilities, establishing measurable and time-bound outcomes, enhancing accountability mechanisms, and aligning investments in housing and homelessness reduction across all orders of government. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Council endorse this call to action by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) to the Government of Canada to incorporate these five priorities into the renewed National Housing Strategy by encouraging them to further work with provinces, territories, Indigenous governments, municipalities and community partners to establish clear targetsand coordinated investments aimed at achieving significant, measurable reductions in homelessness within five years; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City Clerk send a copy of this resolution to the Prime Minister of Canada, the federal Minister responsible for Housing and Homelessness, the Premier of Ontario, the provincial Minister responsible for Housing, local Members of Parliament and Members of the provincial legislature, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH).