Shepherds of Good Hope announces vision to turn shelter into supportive housing

Shepherds of Good Hope on King Edward Avenue in Ottawa on Sept. 30, 2024. (Scott Rook/CTV News Ottawa)

The Shepherds of Good Hope in downtown Ottawa says it has envisioned a new plan to transform its emergency shelter into a supportive housing facility.

The shelter at the corner of Murray Street and King Edward Avenue houses up to 270 people, including overflow beds, on its busiest nights. In a news release on Thursday, the organization said many of its clients face barriers to housing and some remain at the shelter for years at a time.

The Shepherds of Good Hope said it announced its vision at a meeting with the Lowertown Community Association on Wednesday.

“The organization envisions building bachelor units on the second and third floors of its building. The first floor would be redesigned and purpose-built for the important medical and social services that are delivered there. It would have enhanced health supports to serve both individuals who are diverted by emergency services as well as the residents living above,” the news release said.

A spokesperson for the Shepherds said this is just a vision of a plan right now, but the organization believes it’s important to share its intentions early to keep the community informed.

CEO Stephen Bartolo said in the news release that the way to support the most marginalized members of our community needs to change.

“Shepherds is committed to shifting our approach away from managing homelessness to one of prevention and permanent solutions. We are excited to embark on the planning process with building experts and partner agencies to create something that will fill a gap in Ottawa’s housing continuum,” he said.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he supports the idea.

“This project represents a fundamental shift in how we respond to homelessness in Ottawa. Working with great community partners like Shepherds, we’re focusing on permanent housing solutions that will bring people out of homelessness and create the stability they need to rebuild their lives. Expanding supportive housing continues to be one of our top priorities as we work toward ending homelessness,” he said.

The Shepherds of Good Hope launched a shelter diversion project last year, in partnership with the Alliance to End Homelessness and the City of Ottawa, with the aim of helping people find safe and appropriate housing arrangements in their community, instead of entering a shelter.

In January, the Shepherds said the project had achieved a 22 per cent successful diversion rate. Most people return to their own rental housing, many go to live with family and friends, while others are redirected to transitional or supportive housing.

Up to six weeks after the pilot projects, 67 per cent of those diverted did not return to the shelter system, and 100 per cent of those diverted to supportive housing stayed housed.

Turning the shelter into a supportive housing building would be a step forward for the city, according to Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa executive director Kaite Burkholder-Harris.

“Shepherds of Good Hope has always evolved to meet the needs of our community. The Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa is thrilled to support this important step forward of reimagining a site that has long served as emergency shelter space into housing that will provide people with the dignity, stability, and opportunity they deserve. This project reflects our sector’s commitment to helping people move beyond homelessness and into homes,” she said.

The Shepherds says it hopes to begin work in the coming year to explore what is possible through a collaborative planning process involving architects, engineers, partner agencies and people with lived experience.

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