Jack Hanna
Ottawa’s housing and homeless emergency was worsening even before the pandemic. COVID-19 has just cranked up the pain.
Councillor Catherine McKenney says, “More people are falling into homelessness. More people can’t pay their rent. Last night, at least 1,900 people (in Ottawa) slept in shelters,” she said in an interview late last month. “That includes families with children.”
Those numbers are headed up with job and income losses due to COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of local people to default on their rent has risen by about 3,200, the councillor said, citing data from a landlords’ association which stated, “That’s going to happen more and more.”
Renters can now be evicted for non-payment of rent. Ontario had a temporary pandemic-inspired ban on evictions but that ended in August. Last month, Ottawa City Council appealed to the province to provide rent support for those struggling, or to bring back the moratorium on evictions.
If someone can’t pay their rent and gets kicked out of their home, they may end up in a shelter. And during a pandemic this is riskier. “People are afraid to go to shelters, or to live in a rooming house where they might bunk three or four to a room,” McKenney said, “so they sleep outside.” She noted that some 200 people in Ottawa sleep outdoors every night.
The city is increasing beds in shelters and overflow shelters. As well, Tom Brown Arena opened this month as a downtown respite centre, replacing the centre at McNabb Arena. However, these are band-aid measures. The city desperately needs to increase affordable housing of all types, local experts say.
In a recent panel discussion, Katie Burkholder Harris of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, said, “There’s a spectrum of needs.” Those facing heavy challenges, for example, transitioning off the streets or with mental-health concerns, may require supportive housing with on-site support workers.
The city is short of co-ops and rent-geared-to-income units, and there’s a big need for apartments with moderate rents. “More and more, people are feeling the impact of living in an unaffordable city,” said Burkholder Harris.
While the federal government’s recent injection of housing funds to cities helps–Ottawa will get $31.9 million–McKenney calls it a drop in the bucket. “With the status quo, there is no way out. I’m afraid it is going to get worse.”
She says the failure to tackle the housing and homelessness crisis can be chalked up to discrimination. “We discriminate against the poor, indigenous and racialized communities. We would not allow any other demographic to fall into this kind of emergency.”
COVID-19 has made the housing emergency worse. But the pandemic has shaken the world and this gives McKenney a glimmer of hope. She says, “COVID has forced us to think and act outside our comfort zones. We are starting to look at vacant city land and vacant parking lots, and ask, What can we do with them?”
In a pandemic, attitudes are shifting said McKenney. “We cannot make decisions based on fear. Everybody has to accept accessible, affordable housing in their neighbourhood. The conversation today has to be about public health. This is a health emergency. People will die. We certainly don’t need thoughts and prayers. We need bold thinking and action.”