Community Services Committee

That the Community Services Committee recommend that Council, sitting as Committee of the Whole on March 1, 2023, approve the Community Services Committee portion of the 2023 Draft Operating and Capital Budgets as follows: Community and Social Services Operating Budget, as follows: General Manager’s Office Business Support Services and Community Safety, Well-Being, Policy and Analytics Operating Resource Requirement (page 4); Employment and Social Services Operating Resource Requirement (page 7); Children’s Services: User fees (page 11); Operating Resource Requirement (pages 9-10) Housing Services Operating Resource Requirement (page 13) Long Term Care Services Operating Resource Requirement (page 15); Gender and Race Equity, Inclusion, Indigenous Relations and Social Development Services Operating Resource Requirement (page 18) Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services Operating Budget, as follows: General Manager’s Office and Business Support Services: User fees (page 22); Operating Resource Requirement (page 21); Community Recreation, Culture and Sports Programs: User Fees (pages 26-28); Community Recreation and Cultural Programs (Page 25) Remaining Operating Resource Requirement (page 25); Complexes, Aquatics and Specialized Services: User Fees (pages 32-34); Operating Resource Requirement (page 31); Parks and Facilities Planning: User Fees (page 37); Operating Resource Requirement (page 36); Facility Operations Service User Fees (page 41); Operating Resource Requirement

WHEREAS Ottawa has a significant and growing senior population, who are living with a range of social and health needs; and WHEREAS the research demonstrates that the large majority of seniors (80%+) overwhelmingly express a preference for aging at home as opposed to institutional settings; and WHEREAS community agencies have further demonstrated that the costs of providing home-based services for seniors such as transportation services, home-based personal and health supports, programs to combat isolation and food insecurity; are cost effective and lead to significant savings in use of emergency services and delay in move to long term care settings; and WHEREAS senior-serving agencies across Ottawa, including the Olde Forge, are providing effective and preventative services for seniors aging at home, and are only limited in their capacity to provide these services by financial restrictions; and WHEREAS the Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) model for supporting seniors to age at home; particularly the Oasis model which has been operating in Kingston for over ten years, and has proven successful in decreasing emergency room visits by 26% and hospital admission by 40%, and has lead to a 45% reduction in need for home care services for seniors living in Oasis supported facilities; and WHEREAS the NORC/Oasis model saves significant taxpayer money by leveraging existing community resources and empowering seniors to create, drive and delver supports in a way that me

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Community Services Committee approve the addition of this item for consideration by the Committee at today’s meeting, pursuant to subsection 89(3) of the Procedure By-law (being by-law no. 2022-410), so that the transition plan for physical distancing centers may be brought back to Council by in Q2 of 2023.

WHEREAS Physical Distancing Centres began operating in May 2020 as a temporary measure to reduce the overall capacity within the single adult community shelter system and provide adequate space for users to physically distance and mitigate the spread of COVID-19; and WHEREAS the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected low-income households for a number of reasons including the loss of community and recreational spaces and programming as a result of Physical Distancing Centres (PDCs), Isolation Centres, vaccination clinics, testing centres and emergency supply storage being located in recreation and community centres; and WHEREAS the Council Memo title “ Spring COVID-19 Response to Support Single Adults Experiencing Homelessness”, dated February 14, 2023, outlines Recreation facilities/Community Centres that will be used as Physical Distancing Centres from now until mid-August 2023; and WHEREAS the demand for emergency shelter services in the City of Ottawa continues to exceed the system’s permanent bed capacity and that the City of Ottawa has taken the approach that no one should be left unsheltered if they seek temporary shelter; and WHEREAS affordable and supportive housing remains a key priority for the City and a Housing First model, which moves people from shelters or the street to permanent housing with supports, is recognized as the desired alternative to chronic homelessness; and WHEREAS there are currently 180 units of supportive housing under development w

WHEREAS Council declared a housing and homelessness emergency and crisis in January 2020; WHEREAS Physical Distancing Centres began operating in Ottawa in May 2020 as a temporary measure to reduce the usage within the single adult community shelter system and provide adequate space for users to physically distance and mitigate the spread of COVID-19; WHEREAS the demand continues to exceed the temporary basis of these PDCs; WHEREAS the Council Memo: Spring COVID-19 Response to Support Single Adults Experiencing Homelessness, dated February 14, 2023, outlines Recreation facilities/Community Centres to be used as Physical Distancing Centres from now until mid-August 2023; WHEREAS the intent is to ensure clients utilizing these temporary shelters be transitioned to permanent housing; WHEREAS affordable and supportive housing is a key priority for the City and a Housing First model, which focuses on moving people from shelters or the street to permanent housing with supports; WHEREAS affordable housing stock in the City is already at an all-time low and a recent building fire in Overbrook resulted in the loss of 32 units, owned by non-profit organization Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, displacing 53 people; WHEREAS the shift of work-from-home and hybrid workspaces has evolved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating commercial buildings in the City to become vacant; WHEREAS Council has committed to pursuing the conversion of such types of office buildings in the downtown cor

WHEREAS the City Zoning bylaw Part 5, section 134 defines a shelter as “shelter means an establishment providing temporary accommodation to individuals who are in immediate need of emergency accommodation and food, and may include ancillary health care, counselling and social support services. (refuge)”; and WHEREAS Physical Distancing Centres, and Respite Centres fall within that definition, and Warming Centres and emergency shelters in response to natural disasters do not; WHEREAS in spite of this Zoning by-law, the Council report titled “Respite Services Sustainability Plan” (ACS2022-CSS-GEN-002) approved by Council on April 13, 2022, provided the General Manager, Community and Social Services with the delegated authority to “maintain the Human Needs Command Centre as well as the municipally operated Respite and Physical Distancing Centres”; and WHEREAS the Council report titled “Respite Services Sustainability Plan” directed staff to conduct a review of the single adult community shelter requirements and develop a longer-term plan to support the transitioning out of Physical Distancing Centres and respond to the need of those experiencing homelessness “by Q1 2023”; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Staff complete the report to Committee and Council in Q2 2023 outlining options to transition out of Physical Distancing Centres, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff be directed to: Expand on the criteria used to identify factors and considerations for choosing recreation/communi