On 22nd November, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, along with the Honourable Michael Parsa, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Housing, Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament of Ottawa Centre, and Shawn Menard, Ottawa Councillor for Capital Ward, announced an investment of over $90 million to support the construction of more than 270 units across the City of Ottawa.
This investment is made possible thanks to the National Housing Strategy’s diverse programs: the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF), Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), Rental Construction Financing Initiative (RCFI), Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) and Investment in Affordable Housing-Extension (IAH-E). The five projects funded under these NHS programs will provide a mix of unit sizes with varying levels of affordability, including average market rent units and below market rent units.
The announcement took place at 289 Carling, a 6-storey building with 40 self-contained affordable units, 8 of which are accessible. Thanks to a $4 million NHCF investment, the Carling Avenue Supportive Housing project will offer on-site 24-hour support for transitional-aged youth and adults, people who are homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless, as well as women and their children.
Located at 159 Forward Avenue and formerly known as the Forward Family Shelter, this four-storey building will house a mix of tenants with varying levels of accessibility and affordability needs across a range of unit sizes from studios to three-bedrooms. Of the building’s 49 units, 30 will be designated as affordable while the remaining 19 units will have rents that are at or below the average market rent. In addition to being 100% universally accessible, 6 of the units will be barrier-free. The project received over $12 million from the NHCF and over $8 million from OPHI and IAH-E.
Located at 93 Norman, the 9-storey rental apartment building will be offering affordable rents, accessible design and environmentally sustainable construction. Of the 122 units available, 36 will be able to accommodate women and their children. The project benefitted over $48 million from the RCFI.
Located at 494 Lisgar, this 29-unit project will offer supportive housing for women experiencing chronic homelessness with a focus on Indigenous Women. The program will have 24-hour support on-site with gender, trauma, and culturally responsive case management, and community development supports. Managed by the John Howard Society, the project received close to $14 million from the RHI.
Located at 3380 Jockvale, the project will consist of 32 affordable housing units for families in the shelter system. Managed by Ottawa Community Housing, this $5.85 million RHI project will offer two and three-bedroom stacked townhomes, including seven that will be accessible.
