Thanks to the Rotary Club of West Ottawa for inviting the #Ottawa Community Land Trust to its Big Ideas Podcast! Timely reminder that working together as a community, we *can* preserve affordable housing. youtu.be/8jZ-44GNv18

York Region's Housing for All Land Trust has an exciting, ambitious vision: collaborate to deliver 500 affordable homes (thru development + acquisition). “The idea is to see if we can get land, units of housing, vacant homes, and different partners ... that have land or homes ... into the Trust.”

Big news day - here too! The Ottawa Community Land Trust has reached its $3.0 million Housing Forever Bonds campaign goal! Community investing in community - and more #affordablehousing to be preserved in #Ottawa, forever!

Good to see discussion around the provincial Land Transfer Tax; would love to see all parties commit to waiving this for non-profit acquisitions / preservation of #affordablehousing, too! #onpoli toronto.ctvnews.ca/bonnie-cromb...

From recent research in the GTA, "Overall findings suggest that receiving subsidized housing improves mental health over a 6-to-18-month time horizon.... suggesting a need to reduce wait times and expand access to subsidized housing." @urbanhealthprof.bsky.social #affordablehousing

What's causing the #housing crisis? From @canadiandimension.bsky.social "The trouble isn’t that there are too many ppl or too few houses, the trouble is who owns the houses and why.... It’s time to remind ourselves that our homes are for living our lives, not generating value for shareholders."

Stewarding the Future: Youth Power and Leadership in Community Land Trust Practice - looks like a great webinar, Wed Dec 4 @ noon.

Waterloo is poised to approve (I'm 100% certain this will pass) a plan to add over 1k affordable/attainable homes on city owned land on Monday. With a financial commitment of at least $20 million on the city's end, this is remarkable for a lower tier municipality.🧵 www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...

When a housing bottleneck limits access to safety and service. “Our ability to provide safe shelter for people fleeing violence in the community has been reduced simply because of the lack of affordable housing in our community,” Keri Lewis, Interval House #Ottawa (1/2)

Excited for OCAF's (Ottawa Climate Action Fund) next steps in supporting #Ottawa’s transition to an equitable, carbon-neutral future. The Oct 9 Climate-Economy Summit incl'd great discussions on how to retrofit (+ preserve) existing rental #housing while preserving affordability. #affordablehousing

Community Land Trusts are innovating across 🇨🇦. The Northern CLT Society (Whitehorse) is building 32 homes for (permanent!) affordable home ownership. 1, 2 + 3-BR homes, sold at less than 30% below market value. Decommodifying housing - so folks can build equity elsewhere. #affordablehousing

Good insight on achieving scale (+ resilience) in community housing, from @sullivanray.bsky.social: Small orgs don't need expertise in everything; they can team up! e.g. some #CommunityLandTrusts are focused on growth, dev + asset mgmt, allowing other orgs to focus on tenant supports + operations

Interested in dipping your toes in impact investing + making a difference? There are opportunities here in #ottcity! The #Ottawa Community Land Trust is currently offering Housing Forever Bonds. Earn a fair return while helping preserve housing affordability. www.oclt.ca/invest #affordablehousing

Are folks down for a serious debate about rent control in Canada? Solid overview from @ricardotranjan.bsky.social of different types of rent regulation, with some facts to guide a conversation. #affordablehousing #rentcontrol #cdnpoli

"To truly tackle the housing crisis ... means embracing cross-sector collaboration, new financial models + bold policy changes" + aligning w climate, health policy egs cited incl #communitybonds, S Georgian Bay Inst + Manitoba’s #AffordableHousing REIT; curious to watch the latter #socialinnovation

(proud #HamOnt roots emerging): City will launch a social debenture prog + 2-yr pilot w/ prog guidelines for non-profits to acquire 100 units w/ goal of preparing for fed rental acquisition plan. Will include $5m for capital grants, 10-yr prop tax exemption + 40 rent supps for deep affordability.

"w/ a view to increasing the supply of off-market housing, Montreal will continue its strategic building acquisition initiatives.... In 2024, 11 bldgs [518 hsg units] have been acquired [and] 5 bldgs [343 units] have been transferred to hsg orgs." (budget doc) (1/2) montreal.ca/actualites/m...

On #NationalHousingDay, I stand among 71 Councillors against the use of the Notwithstanding Clause to clear encampments. Municipalities need resources and evidence-based solutions to address the humanitarian crisis of encampments — not the suspension of people's Charter rights.

"Homelessness is a housing problem. Forced treatment, enforcement and criminalization will not solve homelessness - the solution to encampments is housing." Ontario: Invest in housing, expand access to treatment, increase income security, match the fed encampment funding. www.homesnothandcuffs.ca

“We’re looking to recreate a hub for the Black community in Vancouver ... and to deliver additional affordable housing + social infrastructure.” A highlight from last month's Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts Summit was a visit to Hogan's Alley Society (a Vancouver #CLT). Very exciting!

Tomorrow! (Nov 21) - Hear from local #Ottawa voices / networks on how we as a community can advance affordable housing solutions! (what better activity could there be on the eve of #NationalHousingDay?) Registration: www.eventbrite.ca/e/synapcity-...

City of #Ottawa's Planning + Housing Cttee meets today to debate the 2025 draft budget re affordable #housing. New builds are critical! So too is preserving existing #affordablehousing (+ preventing evictions). Hoping we see some attention to both... pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...

So it’s OK for apartments and townhouses, but not for single family homes??

Interested in wealth inequality? Employee ownership? Creating pathways to wealth and ownership for working people? Follow some like minds in our Social Capital Partners starter pack! go.bsky.app/2nj5Vii #EconSky #CdnPoli #FutureEconomy

Yesss. Fixing the Housing Crisis, Beyond Supply (Nov 20 @ 2pm) methods to increase affordability & make housing permanently affordable, such as with community land trusts, expanding housing assistance, and more! nextcity.org/events/detai... w/ @nextcity.bsky.social

There are so many examples of innovation across Ottawa's affordable housing landscape. Multifaith Housing Initiative (MHI) will own & operate 133 apts - at affordable rates - on 17 floors within the Dream towers at Lebreton. Some big social procurement targets, too! www.newswire.ca/news-release...

This week we mark National Housing Day! You’re invited to this Nov 21 workshop in #Ottawa to engage w/ local actors (OCLT, Alliance to End Homelessness, ACORN, Refugee613 and Synapcity) leading community-driven solutions to the #housing crisis.   More info + link to register: bit.ly/SynapcityOCL...

Some coverage of @bankblocktenants.bsky.social's ongoing struggle against eviction rabble.ca/political-ac...

What do we need to do to advance #housing equity in #Ottawa? Check out this breakfast panel on Friday, Nov 22 - #NationalHousingDay. Registration here: lnkd.in/ec8jYwaz Sponsored by the Ottawa Community Land Trust, Cahdco and the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa.

Hello, Bluesky #Ottawa! Testing the waters over here. Interests incl all things Ottawa, affordable #housing, #socialpolicy, #community ownership, #nonprofits. Occasional trail / road runner. And could be convinced to post pup content from time to time (any other Bouviers out there?). 👋