Ottawa Mission Copes with Unprecedented Need

Shelter’s capacity to respond to catastrophic levels of homelessness and food insecurity stretched by providing support to huge numbers of asylum seekers as well

Ottawa, ON – Today The Ottawa Mission released its annual impact report outlining its support of increasing numbers of vulnerable community members over its past fiscal year, a situation that has been made more challenging by a significant increase in arrivals of asylum seekers with no apparent government support.

“Over four years after Ottawa City Council declared a homelessness emergency, homelessness has returned to catastrophic levels, with even more people living in shelters and encampments. 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 pushed our shelter’s capacity to cope to the limit. This has meant all emergency shelter beds and mats laid down on our chapel floor this past year were full,” CEO Peter Tilley noted.

“In the summer of 2023, the number of asylum seekers arriving at our shelter increased significantly. By October, the number of refugees occupying our shelter beds was at an all-time high of 61%. No one’s introduction to a new country and a new life should be a homeless shelter,” Tilley added.

This influx of asylum seekers has had multiple impacts across The Mission’s operations, including meal, frontline, and case management services, and the provision of clothing and footwear. Chef Ric Allen-Watson, Director Food Services, outlined the impact on the shelter’s meal program. “Before the pandemic, we served 495,360 meals annually. This past year, we served an astounding 1,132,470 meals. This is the second year in a row that we’ve served over one million meals, and this year’s meal number represents an increase of 235% 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 38 stops serving 7,889 meals per week. The Mission also provided groceries to clients who receive a meal. This past fiscal year, the shelter handed out 78,125 bags of groceries. “Many clients have told us that they go hungry until our trucks come. Other clients have said that our trucks help them with feeding their families since the cost of groceries has risen so much,” added Allen-Watson.

Ashley Potter, Manager of Frontline Services for The Mission, outlined the impact of the increase of asylum seekers on Frontline services at the shelter. “Frontline staff are the first point of contact for anyone seeking help. We were already at overcapacity before last summer. Since then, given the lack of available shelter beds and chapel mats – and no beds elsewhere since all shelters in Ottawa are full  ̶  on average, 27 people slept on chairs in our lounge each night, and we’ve had to turn away, on average, 48 individuals each night to alternate accommodation. We’ve also had to buy winter clothing and toiletries since many newcomers arrive here with nothing, which has further strained our budgets for these items.”

Supporting asylum seekers has also impacted case management services across programs. As one example, Kristin Schilkie, Manager of Housing for The Mission, noted how the extreme challenge of finding safe and affordable housing for clients has been affected by the increase in asylum seekers. “Rents rose over 9% in Ottawa last year. For those living on low incomes, this means a far greater risk of homelessness. In fact, 10% of people living in shelters are employed, but cannot afford these sky-high rents. Now, housing case managers and workers, who normally work to find housing for clients, are busy helping newcomers navigate registering as refugees. Despite these conditions, The Mission continues to place clients into safe and affordable housing. Last year our shelter successfully housed 270 people – more than the total number of emergency dorm beds at our shelter,” Schilkie added.

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

• Providing emergency shelter to 1,549 unique individuals.
• Providing 105 clients help with resumes.
• Providing 77 clients with mental health referrals.
• Helping 146 clients achieve their educational goals.
• Training 72 Food Service Training Program graduates, 54 of whom were employed at graduation.
• Supporting 105 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 3,490 primary care patient encounters, 44 new Hospice admissions, 407 dental care patient visits, and 130 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 major report with recommendations to municipal, provincial and federal governments to address the underlying causes of these conditions. “Like hospital emergency rooms, emergency shelters are the entry point for so many people within the homelessness continuum of care. Given the overwhelming need to support so many vulnerable people, we call on all levels of government to increase their funding, policies and programming for affordable housing, food insecurity, income insecurity, as well as supports for asylum seekers, and those suffering from mental health conditions and substance use,” Tilley concluded.

You can view our impact report video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7b2gHXxivs&list=PLeBQrzPBYMqq3YtjEO3FDJdR8T5PmDqoG&index=6 

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 2023-2024, The Ottawa Mission provided emergency shelter to an average of 187 men every night and served an average of 3,103 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
C: 613.712.3092
E-mail: aleo@ottawamission.com