# Ottawa Media Q&A for ATEH and Partners Spokespeople

Q: So tell me what is the 20,000 Homes Action Week?

- • The 20,000 Homes Campaign is a national movement of communities – led by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness - working together to permanently house 20,000 of Canada’s must vulnerable homeless people by July 1, 2018
- • Our local Action Week marks the beginning of Ottawa’s participation in the campaign.
- • From April 18-23, over 100 skilled professionals and trained volunteers will survey many who are homeless in Ottawa – including those we meet on our streets, in our shelters, at our homeless drop- ins and day programs and among the ‘hidden homeless.’ These teams will come to know our homeless neighbours by name and will better understand their housing needs, identifying the most vulnerable.
- • This information will help drive a community ‘call to action’ to find permanent housing solutions for those who are most vulnerable.
- Q: Who is behind the 20,000 Homes Campaign?
- • The 20,000 Homes Campaign is a national movement of communities – led by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.
- • Ottawa’s Action Week is organised by the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa in collaboration with numerous partners. In addition to the Alliance and the 25+ programs and agencies involved in surveying, Ottawa’s Action Week is being made possible with the generous support of numerous partners and sponsors, including:
- o Alliance to End Homelessness; Canadian Mental Health Association, Ottawa o Alliance to End Homelessness; Canadian Mental Health Association, Ottawa Branch; Christie Walther Communications; City of Ottawa; Community Solutions; Downtown Rideau BIA; Jewish Family Services; John Howard Society of Ottawa; Ottawa Little Theatre; Ottawa Mission; Ottawa Police Service; Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre; St. Albans Church; Salvation Army Booth Centre; Tewegan Aboriginal Youth Housing; United Way Ottawa; anonymous donors and committed volunteers!

Q: What will happen during Ottawa’s Action Week?

- • On April 18, 20 and 21, skilled professionals and trained volunteers will survey homeless people on our streets, in our shelters, at our homeless drop-ins and day programs and among the ‘hidden homeless.’
- • The survey is similar to one used by the very successful 100,000 Homes Campaign in the U.S.A., and uses a vulnerability index to better understand the needs of individuals who are homeless – so we as a community might plan the best responses.
- • On April 23, from 10:00-11:30 am at the Ottawa Little Theatre, the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa will hold a Community Debrief – sponsored by the Downtown Rideau BIA - to present the top findings of the surveys, to offer a portrait of homelessness in Ottawa, and to launch a call to action - building public support for ending homelessness and political support for renewed federal and provincial investment in housing and support services.

Q: Who are the homeless and the hidden homeless?

- • We know that in 2014, over 6500 individuals stayed overnight at one of our community’s emergency overnight shelters. Many were there for weeks and months. In fact, the average length of stay at our emergency shelters – 73 days in 2013 – was longer in 2014. Permanent, safe, appropriate and affordable housing solutions, with the support necessary to sustain them, are urgently needed.
- • We know that over half of those in Ottawa experiencing homelessness and staying at our emergency shelters are female, youth or members of family households.
- • While a substantial portion of the homeless population stays in homeless shelters, or is unsheltered, others are not. Some stay temporarily with acquaintances, friends or family, with no immediate prospect of getting their own place, knowing they might be kicked out at any time – what is known as ‘couch surfing’ or hidden homelessness.