How does the City help to make housing affordable?

The City uses a variety of programs and subsidies to help make housing more affordable for low-income residents.

New constructions: Since 2014, the City has built 213 supportive housing units and 271 affordable housing units, increasing the amount of affordable housing for people living on low incomes. The City is building 410 new affordable housing units.

Rent-geared-to-income assistance: This subsidy reduces the cost of housing so that households pay 30 percent of their pre-tax monthly income for rent. These subsidies help renters living in community housing and rent supplement units secure affordable housing from private and non-profit landlords.

• Rent-geared-to-income assistance is provided through the Centralized Waiting List for affordable housing, managed by The Social Housing Registry on behalf of the City.
• Ottawa has 52 community housing providers, including not-for-profit housing corporations, cooperatives and rent supplement landlords, that provide affordable rental units to more than 18,000 low-income households.

Housing allowance: This subsidy, paid to the household or the landlord, helps households pay rent. This subsidy provides $250 for a single person and $50 for each additional family member.

• The City provided more than 800 housing allowances.
• The housing allowance can be used anywhere in Ottawa.
• Households can remain on the Centralized Waiting List for affordable housing while receiving the subsidy.

What can we do to make housing more affordable for Ottawa residents?