Ottawa Mission Continues to Cope with Unprecedented Need

In the face of catastrophic levels of homelessness and food insecurity, Ottawa’s oldest and largest homeless shelter introduces new job training program to lift people out of homelessness

Ottawa, ON – Today The Ottawa Mission released its annual impact report outlining its support of record numbers of vulnerable community members over its past fiscal year.

“Over five years after Ottawa City Council declared a homelessness emergency, homelessness has reached unprecedented levels, with record numbers of people living in shelters and on the street. The lack of affordable and supportive housing, mental health distress, substance use, job loss, and high inflation for essentials such as food and rent, have stretched our shelter’s capacity to cope to the limit. This means that all emergency shelter beds and mats laid down on our chapel floor this past year were full,” CEO Peter Tilley noted.

In 2023, a record number of asylum seekers turned to The Mission for help. “There has been a decline in the number of newcomers who turn to us for help and occupy our shelter beds since that time, and we appreciate the efforts of the City of Ottawa to find alternate accommodation for these clients. Having said this, we continue to be at over 100% with all of our emergency shelter beds full. This means that we continue to have nine clients sleeping on mats in our chapel, 16 sleeping on chairs in our lounge, and also having to turn 10 clients away each night to find alternate accommodation,” stated Ashley Potter, Manager of Frontline Services.

The Mission also continues to cope with catastrophic rates of hunger across Ottawa, where food insecurity has risen from one in seven to now one in four households. “Before the pandemic, we served 495,360 meals annually. This past year, we served 1,208,935 meals. This is the third year in a row that we’ve served over one million meals, and this year’s meal number represents an increase of 244% from before the pandemic,” noted Chef Ric Allen-Watson, The Mission’s Director of Food Services.

In response to worsening hunger across Ottawa, The Mission launched its food truck program in September 2020. Beginning with one truck, five stops, and 500 meals per week, it has expanded to two trucks and 41 stops serving 11,000 meals per week. The Mission also provides groceries to clients who receive a meal. This past fiscal year, the shelter handed out 88,750 bags of groceries. “Many clients go hungry until our trucks come. This program also helps them feed their families since the cost of groceries has increased so much. In the words of Roger, one of our clients: ‘I’m a senior. My mobility is restricted. I’m lucky this stop is close. These meals help me survive.’ Many people have told us similar stories,” added Allen-Watson.

The Mission has a long history of innovative programs to help people rebuild their lives. This includes lifting people out of homelessness and helping them to stay in their homes. In 2024, the shelter launched its new Maintenance Services Training Program (MSTP). Modeled on The Mission’s very successful Food Services Training Program (FSTP), which has a 90% success rate of helping students secure employment in the food service industry, the MSTP is a no-barrier job training initiative designed to help people experiencing homelessness or on the brink of homelessness.

“This program equips students with the skills they need to secure and maintain meaningful employment as building superintendents. The MSTP combines academic and practical instruction, soft-skills development, mentorship, industry-standard certifications, placement opportunities, and comprehensive support for job retention after graduation,” noted Andy Higgs, Manager of Maintenance for The Mission.

“Our first cohort graduated five students this spring ready and eager to work, and I’m delighted to report that all five are working as building superintendents. And even better – we’re expanding this program for the next cohort to 12 students to help even more people in need,” Higgs added.

The Mission also achieved impressive results across its many other programs, including:

• Providing emergency shelter to 1,248 unique individuals.
• Successfully housed 270 clients.
• Providing 65 clients with mental health referrals.
• Helping 138 clients achieve their educational goals.
• Training 84 Food Service Training Program graduates, 72 of whom were employed at graduation.
• Supporting 107 Addiction and Trauma Services graduates on their journey to wellness and recovery and reducing their risk of relapse.
• Providing compassionate and evidence-based care through 3,469 primary care patient encounters, 34 new Hospice admissions, 395 dental care patient visits, and 85 ophthalmology and optometry patient encounters.
• Bringing comfort and solace to clients through our Chaplaincy services.

In April, in response to unprecedented levels of homelessness and food insecurity, The Mission issued a second major report with recommendations to municipal, provincial and federal governments to address the underlying causes of these conditions and will be implementing a concerted advocacy campaign this fall to advance these recommendations.

“Like hospital emergency rooms, emergency shelters are the entry point for so many people within the homelessness continuum of care. As the City of Ottawa’s own 2024 Housing Needs Assessment noted, if additional funding isn’t put into building homes, shelters and transitional housing, homelessness in Ottawa could increase by 58 per cent over the next decade. There could also be an additional 133,000 people at risk of experiencing homelessness during that time period. Given the overwhelming burden and magnitude of homelessness, we need to support people who are currently homeless while also tackling the root causes of homelessness,” Tilley concluded.

About The Ottawa Mission

Since 1906, The Ottawa Mission has been serving the homeless, the hungry and the lost by providing food, clothing, shelter and skills. In 2024-2025, The Ottawa Mission provided emergency shelter to an average of 187 men every night and served an average of 3,312 meals every day.  The Ottawa Mission also provides to men and women health services, mental health and addiction treatment programs, hospice care, dental services, housing services, educational support, job training, spiritual care, and clothing to thousands in need in our community. In September 2020, The Ottawa Mission marked the one millionth hour that the shelter has been in existence since its founding in 1906. In 2019, the Mission became a housing-focused shelter reflective of its commitment to a home for everyone as a human right with the launch of a new housing department.

FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Aileen Leo
Director of Communications
T 613.234.1144 x 305
E-mail: aleo@ottawamission.com