Apr 4th, 2018

AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING CELEBRATED IN OTTAWA SOUTH

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2018

AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING CELEBRATED IN OTTAWA SOUTH
Ottawa, ON — Funding for new affordable housing in Ottawa South was announced today. More families, seniors, and people living with disabilities will now have a place to call home. The federal and provincial governments are investing $2.4 million to create 16 affordable housing units.
John Fraser, Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa South and David McGuinty Member of Parliament for Ottawa South, made the announcement today. They were joined by Stéphane Giguère, CEO of Ottawa Community Housing.

The announcement took place at the Ottawa Community Housing development on Uplands Drive where there are 114 affordable units occupied. The 16 new homes will be a mix of seven townhomes – which will be four to six bedrooms to accommodate larger families – as well as three triplexes and four barrier-free homes.
The new homes will be energy efficient and sustainable, utilizing radiant floor heating technology in every home as well as low water consumption features, this is to complement the in-suite light-emitting diode technology, which provides enhanced efficiency and a sustainable reeducation in electrical energy consumption.

Quick facts:
• Today’s announcement of affordable housing in Ottawa South was part of a larger announcement that included 16 IAH developments across Ottawa, totalling more than $54 million in federal-provincial funding and more than 675 units of additional affordable housing.
• Ottawa Community Housing also contributed $2.6 million to this project.
• The funding levels in Budget 2016 by the Governments of Canada and Ontario under the IAH agreement have been doubled to close to $337 million over two years. This is in addition to existing funding of close to $1.9 billion to March 2019 under this initiative.
• Canada’s first ever National Housing Strategy is a 10-year, $40-billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.
• Investing in affordable housing programs is part of Ontario’s plan to create jobs, grow the economy and help people in their everyday lives. Since 2003, the province has committed more than $5 billion in funding for affordable housing, which has helped support more than 22,000 new affordable rental housing units, more than 335,000 repairs and improvements to social and affordable housing units and rental and down payment assistance to more than 93,000 households in need. These investments complement the commitments made through Ontario’s recent Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy update, and support the province’s goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2025. For more information on affordable housing in Ontario, visit ontario.ca/affordablehousing

The National Housing Strategy aims to achieve a number of targets over the next decade, including:
• Removing more than 530,000 households out of housing need
• Creating 100,000 new housing units
• Repairing and renewing more than 300,000 housing units
• Protecting an additional 385,000 households from losing an affordable place to live
• Reducing chronic homelessness by 50%

Quotes:
“Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. Today’s affordable housing announcement signals our
provincial government’s commitment to reducing chronic homelessness, creating jobs and improving
the quality of life for people in Ottawa South. Together, we are investing in the overall well-being of
our community.”
– John Fraser, MPP Ottawa South

“Our government is investing in affordable housing here in Ottawa South and across Canada to
create jobs and improve the quality of life for local residents. Thanks to the combined efforts of our
partners, we are able to give a helping hand to individuals in need while contributing to the economic
and social well-being of the entire community.”
– David McGuinty, Member of Parliament, Ottawa South

“The City of Ottawa is committed to providing access to safe and affordable housing to all its
residents. These new sustainable and accessible affordable housing units will help vulnerable
residents in Ottawa South find a stable place they can call home. By working collaboratively with the
Provincial and Federal Governments and with our service providers, the City is increasing its
affordable and supportive housing stock and remains on track to meet its goal of ending chronic
homelessness.”
– Jim Watson, Mayor, City of Ottawa

“Ottawa Community Housing strives to be a leader in providing, safe and quality homes to families in
need. Our approach to portfolio renewal allows OCH to look at our communities and make
investments such as this one. The Ashgrove project practices smart growth by building capacity in
an already existing community. In Ashgrove, we are able to integrate accessible, sustainable and
energy efficient housing that is in close proximity to support services for residents. It’s those goals
that guided us through the application process for the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) for
Ontario grant. We are extremely grateful to the City of Ottawa and to the federal government for
their support and trust in OCH.”
– Stéphane Giguère, Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Community Housing

-30-

Media contacts:
Fadi El Masry
Office of MPP John Fraser
613-796-1567
felmasry@liberal.ola.org