Closure of family homeless shelter worries advocates

The ForwardFamilyShelter in Mechanicsville one of only two family homeless shelters in Ottawa will close permanently in the coming weeks.

ShelleyVanBuskirk, the director of housing services, announced the closure in an email sent to the city's community partners on Thursday evening.

"Despite our best efforts to preserve the building, it is at the end of its lifecycle," VanBurskirkwrote, adding that the building does notmeet the province's and city's accessibility requirements.

Originally built as a school in 1955, the city acquired and retrofittedthe building in1985 with the purpose of using itas a shelter. A memo sent to council members late Friday from Janice Burelle, the city's general manager for community services,said that the building needed $2.3 million in repairs.

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Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenneysaid she was surprised to learn of the shelter'sclosure.

"This was not a discussion that we have had as a council," she said."While I understand staff have gotdelegated authority to take this action, this is something that is a city-wide issue we've only got two family shelters and to close down one needed to be a much broader discussion."

Tipping point

McKenneysaid she attended an emergency meetingFriday morning with city staff and Coun. Jeff Leiper, who represents the areas where the shelter is located, and Coun. Diane Deans, chair of the community and protective services committee.

They were told the 14 families currently living in theshelter will be offered places to live in a new transitional housing development near South Keys. Three families currently have offers of affordable housing for Dec. 1. Although the city would like to close the shelter by Dec. 15, it will wait until all the families have other accommodations.

However,McKenneysaid she worries about the impact theshelter's closure will have onemergency facilities available to homeless families. She said there are about200 families living in motels each night in Ottawa.

"We are at thattipping point in our city right now where families are not always assured of a roof over their heads," McKenney said.

Low vacancy rate

"I was floored," said Marie-Jose Houle, executive director of Action Logementon learning the news.

"In combination with the announcement that the Ford government wants to remove rent control for all new construction, I think it was a pretty bad day for us yesterday, that's for sure," she said.

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Houle said that Ottawa's low vacancy rate and the rising cost of rental accommodations will be make it difficult for struggling families to find affordable housing.

There are approximately 10,500 families waiting for subsidized housing in Ottawa.

"All of these pressures, all at once, have created this crisis," said Houle."I think we need to talk about the housing crisis that's happening ... specifically in Toronto and Ottawa."