The long, bitter winter of 2026 has taken a toll on Ottawa\u2019s shelters where capacity has become a major challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been seeing unprecedented levels since at least the pandemic, and especially in the three years that I\u2019ve been here,\u201d Myles Dingwall, senior communications officer for The Ottawa Mission, says. \u201cIn the winter, we\u2019ll see an uptick of around 10 per cent or more of people who are staying overnight with us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dingwall says the Mission, with\u00a0238 shelter beds in Sandy Hill, has been turning other rooms into temporary sleeping accommodations to address demand, but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0over-capacity, we\u00a0actually put\u00a0down sleeping mats in our chapel. But it only adds around 10 to 12\u00a0additional\u00a0shelter beds,\u201d Dingwall said. \u201cPeople unfortunately end up sleeping in our waiting room overnight, in our chairs, upright.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Data from the\u00a0City of Ottawa<\/a>\u00a0shows the average number of individuals staying in temporary shelters has nearly doubled since 2022, reaching more than 3,800 shelter stays in January 2026 alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alexi White, director of systems change at Maytree, a charity which focuses on poverty reduction, says winter weather highlights the need for year-round response to homelessness.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt becomes more visible, which is important, even though homelessness is a problem throughout the\u00a0year,\u201d White said. \u201cYou\u2019ll\u00a0find, anecdotally, shelters having to expand capacity because fewer homeless are able to sleep rough. Staying warm becomes critical.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Data from the\u00a0federal government<\/a>\u00a0shows median homelessness last year peaked in December 2025, reaching 31.7 per 10,000 people, a period when Ottawa saw unusually low temperatures. Environment and Climate Change Canada\u2019s\u00a0Monthly Climate Summary<\/a>\u00a0shows Ottawa\u2019s average temperature was -9 C, 3.2 C lower than the average December temperature from 1991 to 2020 of -5.8 C.\u00a0<\/p>\n River Ward Coun.\u00a0Riley Brockington\u00a0says homelessness in winter requires an \u201call\u00a0hands-on\u00a0deck\u201d approach from shelters and the city, particularly when it comes to making sure there\u2019s awareness of what services are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne homeless person is too many, in my view,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Brockington, who sits on the city\u2019s Community Services Committee.\u00a0\u201cAnd a big concern of mine for a few years is a general lack of awareness, what numbers to call and what services they can provide. That problem obviously becomes more urgent in the winter when sleeping outside can be challenging.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n On Jan.\u00a029, 2020, Ottawa became the\u00a0first major city to declare a homelessness emergency<\/a>.\u00a0In response to growing concerns, the\u00a0city\u00a0initiated\u00a0a\u00a0review of its 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan<\/a>\u00a0in 2025, to update the plan after the pandemic. A presentation to\u00a0city council\u00a0is\u00a0scheduled\u00a0this year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ottawa is also looking at ways to build more transitional housing. Last summer, the city announced they would renovate a 30,000 square foot office building on Queen Street<\/a> to accommodate an additional 140 units, complete with kitchens, dining areas, and laundry facilities.<\/p>\n White said decision-makers tend to\u00a0focus on the supply of housing as the sole issue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLocal conversations on homelessness often overemphasize supply,\u201d White said. \u201cNot that supply isn\u2019t a critical issue, but there\u2019s actually a lot of evidence that we can house people in the private market if we give them enough money to participate in it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n