Jun 7th, 2022

Ottawa Community Housing Corporation holds its Annual General Meeting

OCHC saw a successful year in 2021, with a continued focus on providing exemplary service to all tenants as the organization entered its 20th year of operation.  

June 8, 2022 (OTTAWA, ON) – Today, Ottawa Community Housing Corporation (OCHC) held its Annual General Meeting with its sole shareholder, the City of Ottawa. 

At the City Council meeting on June 8, Stéphane Giguère, Chief Executive Officer of OCHC, and Councillor Mathieu Fleury, Chair of the OCHC Board of Directors, provided an overview of OCHC’s 2021 Annual Report, and the work of the organization over the past year.  

The Annual Report document highlighted the successful work done in 2021 to better serve residents and ensure quality housing and care. Backed by a dedicated team and supported by many strong partnerships locally and across all levels of government, the report also details how OCHC is making great strides towards a future where affordable housing is a reality for everyone in Ottawa – all while providing support and care to the 32,000 tenants living in 15,000 OCHC homes.  

NURTURING HEALTHY, SAFE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES 

Thanks to the ongoing support of the City of Ottawa and many local partner organizations, OCHC has taken great care to provide a healthy, safe, and sustainable living space for tenants. Through measures such as wellness checks, community improvements, and the introduction of a new online tenant portal called My Home, OCHC aims to connect and engage with tenants in an easy, accessible, and effective manner.  

DELIVERING QUALITY SERVICES TO EVERY TENANT AND EVERY HOME 

OCHC’s 24/7 Call Centre responds to general inquiries and a diverse array of requests for home maintenance, pest-related issues, safety services, and service requests for building systems. The OCHC team continues to focus on providing excellent service in tenant engagement, and request resolution. In 2021, the Call Centre received over 252,000 calls, and 87 percent were answered in 60 seconds or less.  

OCHC has a specialized team of maintenance staff designated to handle tenant service requests. Maintenance staff are knowledgeable, committed, and ready to help, all while minding the safety of themselves and of residents. OCHC is grateful to retain such a high-quality and hardworking team, who show up ready to work every day. This commitment came through in full force in the aftermath of the storm on May 21, 2022, which saw OCHC staff actively address every challenge presented by the sudden weather event, providing support and emergency service to communities.  

INNOVATING TO MEET HOUSING AND FINANCIAL NEEDS 

As we navigate a housing and homelessness emergency crisis in Ottawa and beyond, OCHC remains a sector leader in the development of affordable housing for residents of the city. 

The construction of Mosaïq at 811 Gladstone is nearing completion, and site preparation for Phase 2 of the Rochester Heights development is expected to begin this summer. Another exciting development, Mikinak, is intended to be completed by 2024. These projects will add over 700 homes to the OCHC portfolio, with great care taken to ensure sustainable and modern designs.  

FOSTERING AN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE OF LEADERSHIP, ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 

OCHC’s executive team has made great efforts to maintain a flexible, adaptive, and communicative work environment for everyone on the team, regardless of whether an employee is working from home or on the frontline. OCHC staff have been provided with resources and information to better support physical and mental wellness, and the organization has introduced a robust and engaging Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy to better support every individual.  

The organization is continually looking for ways to improve and invest in strong workplace culture and provide the best tools possible for the OCHC team to do their jobs well. Thanks to the dedication of OCHC leadership and staff, OCHC was named a National Capital Region Top Employer for the fourth year in a row. Individual members of leadership and employees were also awarded for their contributions to the industry.

Quotes: 

I am incredibly proud of the dedication and adaptability shown by the team this past year. OCHC staff are always ready to tackle any challenges that come our way, and they do so with compassion, resilience, diligence, and a focus on how to best care for residents in OCHC communities. We look forward to another year of continuous improvement, as we leverage our position as a leader in the housing sector.

 Stéphane Giguère, Chief Executive Officer, OCHC 

 

Ottawa Community Housing is an industry leader in the mission to provide affordable housing to everyone in Ottawa. Time and time again, I have witnessed the resiliency of the team, OCHC leadership, and tenants as they navigate difficult situations like the storm we had on May 21. We are the City’s largest landlord and builder of choice and we are committed to fulfilling the need for more affordable housing in Ottawa. We are building more and building greener. Our team is ready to continue this important work.

Mathieu Fleury, Rideau-Vanier Councillor and OCHC Board Chair 

 

Quick 2021 Highlights from the Annual Report:  

• The OCH Foundation for Healthy Communities raised $26,900 through our Gifts for Good program.  
• OCHC made substantial progress in the construction of 700 new homes, as part of a partnership with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. 
• OCHC invested $2.8 million in 2021 on elevator modernizations and maintenance.  
• As Ottawa Community Housing celebrated the tenth year of its volunteer engagement program, it marked over 31,000 hours of volunteer hours with the help of 7,700 volunteers. 369 projects were completed through the participation of 80 volunteer groups.  
• 2021 was a successful year for the Integrated Pest Management program, with an overall 10% reduction of pest activity, and a 95% “on-time” response rate to service requests. 
• In 2022, OCHC celebrates its 20th anniversary of building better communities for the people of Ottawa.  

Additional Resources: 

• 2021 Annual Report  

About OCHC:  

Ottawa Community Housing Corporation provides 15,000 homes to more than 32,000 tenants, including seniors, parents, children, couples, singles, and persons with disabilities, within many communities across the City of Ottawa. OCHC houses a diverse population of varying languages, ethnicities, and cultures. OCHC is the largest community housing provider in Ottawa, managing two-thirds of the City’s community housing portfolio, and is the second-largest in Ontario. In 2022, OCHC was selected as one of the National Capital Region’s Top Employers for the fifth year in a row. OCHC is also celebrating its 20th  Anniversary in 2022. For more information, please visit www.och-lco.ca or follow us on  Twitter , LinkedIn, Facebook  and Instagram.

 Media Contact:  

Adam Haga 

Media & Public Relations Advisor 

media@och.ca 

343-997-5700