Audit finds ‘disjointed’ supportive housing programs and services in City of Ottawa

A “siloed approach” to funding supportive housing from the upper levels of government is causing “disjointed supportive housing programs and services” in the City of Ottawa that is not meeting the needs of clients, according to the auditor general.

The Office of the Auditor General tabled an audit on the city’s supportive housing program on Friday, finding the programs cannot meet the needs of residents “without more coordination between capital, operating and health funding.” It also concludes the city has not established “baseline standards” for service providers.

According to the city, supportive housing is a “community-based, person-centred model of providing affordable, transitional and permanent accommodation that provides a range of services and supports based on an individual’s needs.”

The City of Ottawa does not provide supportive housing, but administers funding from all levels of government to fund programs. The report says the City of Ottawa had $10.7 million in capital funding and $15.3 million in operating funding for supportive housing in 2024.

Councillors on the audit committee were told the supportive housing audit concludes the “city and service providers are spread thin in trying to meet the complex needs and challenges of their complex,” but there is a lack of funding for operational needs.

“The audit found that there are existing siloes between capital, operating and health-related funding to deliver supportive housing,” the audit says.

“The city receives capital funding from the federal and provincial governments; however, these levels of government do not provide additional operating funding tied to capital projects. The city is then left in a constant state of reactivity to try to find the operating funds to support this critical type of housing.”

“The audit also noted that given the current levels of operating funding and the discretion service providers have in selecting their clients, there are individuals with more complex needs who may remain homeless as supportive housing agencies are not able to support them.”

Officials say the “siloed approach to funding” is forcing “disjointed supportive housing programs and services” that is not consistently meeting the needs of clients and puts greater pressure on other frontline services.

The City of Ottawa estimates it needs $1.5 million a year of operating funding for every 50-unit supportive housing complex facility.

“The city is already stretched thin within available operating budgets, and it does not have the capacity to both continue funding existing supportive housing facilities and bring new ones online without additional funds,” the audit said.

The Auditor General’s Office also concludes the city has not established baseline standards for the “provision of supports within supportive housing facilities, which has led to inconsistencies and varying formality across service providers.”

Recommendations include defining an overall approach to supportive housing within the updated 10-year Housing and Homelessness Plan, including establishing how supportive housing fits into the housing options. The auditor general is also recommending the city develop an integrated work plan to build and operate supportive housing and draft standards to govern the supportive housing processes.

“The audit has highlighted the importance of supportive housing as one of the mechanisms to end chronic homelessness,” the report said. “The recommendations in this audit report should help to establish a more defined and intentional approach to the management of the supportive housing program and the evaluation of its outcomes.”