A guide to the condominium program of the Ottawa branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association
The Ottawa branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA Ottawa) Housing First Condominium Program began in 2002 with the purchase of 22 condominium units to rent to clients with severe and persistent mental illness who were chronically homeless or vulnerably housed.
As of 2019, CMHA Ottawa had expanded to 40 condominium units in regular buildings across Ottawa. In line with Housing First principles, the units are scattered throughout the city, and tenants are provided with health and social supports, such as an intensive case manager. The condo program is one part of the housing portfolio that CMHA Ottawa administers in the city.
CMHA Ottawa is a Housing First agency that also provides case management and rent supplements to clients living in private-market units not owned by the organization. The condo program highlights an innovative way that one organization is addressing common Housing First challenges.
This toolkit outlines CMHA Ottawa’s Condominium Program as a guide for program replication and provides a comprehensive resource for community housing programs looking to develop a similar program within their organization.
Download the CMHA Ottawa condo program toolkit (PDF) — Please note that this resource was created by a third party. While we are pleased to share this resource with you, we cannot guarantee its accessibility.
Related peer-reviewed article co-authored by Tim Aubry, OHFRN-CoI co-lead
Maryann Roebuck, Tim Aubry, Ayda Agha, Stéphanie Manoni-Millar, Lisa Medd & John Sylvestre (2021): A study of the creation of affordable housing for Housing First tenants through the purchase of condominiums, Housing Studies, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2021.1900549.
Please note that the journal allows 50 articles (first come, first serve) to be downloaded from its site. The article is also available on the Homeless Hub.