Fact Sheet: Centre 454 and the Future of Homelessness Support in Ottawa

The Anglican Diocese of Ottawa has been asking residents to contact City Council in support of keeping Centre 454 at its current location in Sandy Hill. I’d like to share the following fact sheet which describes the City has decided, why I support providing day services in more parts of Ottawa, and what I’ve proposed to better support the people who rely on Centre 454.

• The Anglican Diocese runs what is called a ‘day program’ at their St. Albans church located at 454 King Edward Ave via a charitable arm called “Belong Ottawa”. This is one of six-day programs in the area, which include St. Joe’s Supper Table, the drop in at 214 Murray, Ottawa Native Friendship Centre, the Mission drop in, the Corner, Salvation Army soup kitchen, etc.
• City staff made an operational decision in 2025 to spread out social services all over the city identifying an obvious need as we have encampments and homeless in all over the national capital. There is nothing stopping the Anglican Diocese from funding Centre 454 nor are they being told they need to shut down. The city is simply reallocating that funding to a different part of the city.
• The Anglican Diocese is one of the most asset-rich organizations in Ottawa (and in fact, in Canada), with over 80 properties all over the city.  They are well positioned to assist 454 financially and many of the aforementioned day programs operate without city funding.
• Denver reduced homelessness by 67% by focusing on encampment response and scaling up housing, not day programs. You can read the recent NY Times articles here about Denver here: Opinion | We Know How to Fix Homelessness. Why Don’t More Cities Do It? – The New York Times
• I have tried to work with St. Albans to find another use for the space, so there is no loss of funds to the heritage building itself, such as a daycare for frontline and shift workers. I am hopeful they will recognize the need for such support downtown especially given the profile of families living in the area.
• Centre 454 staff recently called the corner of King Edward and Rideau an “ideal location.” I disagree. It’s a busy intersection on a major truck route to and from Gatineau. For people who rely on the Centre, getting there on foot can mean crossing several lanes of traffic alongside tractor-trailers. I would be curious how pedestrian safety has factored into the Diocese’s assessment of this location.
• My door remains open to work with them on a solution but I do not support another “stop gap” program which doesn’t serve the needs of residents, many whom are facing significant setbacks like cognitive decline from overdoses, fetal alcohol syndrome, brain injuries, trauma etc.
• As I described in this CBC interview, these people sleep in a shelter (where they often don’t get a good sleep) and then have to cart around their belongings in the morning to one location for breakfast, another location for lunch and laundry, and then dinner some other place. I have suggested that we partner the Belong Ottawa staff with one of our shelters to create a  24-7 transitional housing space where clients can get the dignity, privacy, and compassion they deserve.  The recent federal government announcement for housing in the budget supports this direction and I welcome any opportunity to work with them on this issue.
• It’s my understanding that the Anglican Diocese has mobilized its congregants to oppose this direction. If you’ve been asked to write to Council, I encourage you to take a look at what the City actually decided and the principles and research of Housing First. My door is open to the Diocese, and I’d welcome a conversation about how we can work together to give people a stable place to live and the day-to-day support and dignity they need.