Oct 23rd, 2025
New Collaborative Approach to Deliver Supportive Housing Launches in Ottawa
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON — (October 23, 2025) Across Ottawa, the connection between housing and health has never been clearer. Every day, people face complex challenges, substance use, mental illness, and homelessness that cannot be solved in silos.
The BumbleBee Initiative is a new partnership model designed to change that. Developed collaboratively by Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), Options Housing, Ottawa Salus, and Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation, it brings housing sector leaders together from the outset. This new collaborative approach is designed to deliver more homes with wrap-around supports more efficiently, at a greater scale and in less time. The initiative is also designed to grow as additional partners join.
Ottawa currently faces long waits for supportive housing, with demand outpacing supply. Traditional approaches, where development and program funding are pursued separately, slow down delivery. The BumbleBee Initiative tackles these challenges head-on, creating a streamlined, scalable model that aligns funding, timelines, and expertise to deliver results faster.
“Collaboration and partnerships are in our DNA; they’re how we tackle the complex challenges people face every day,” said Stéphane Giguère, Chief Executive Officer of Ottawa Community Housing. “The BumbleBee Initiative creates a clear, coordinated path, allowing each partner to focus on what they do best: providing homes and the supports people need to thrive.”
The model is designed to be scalable and adaptable, with pre-developed templates for building design and service models that can be tailored to different sites and community needs. By running construction and program development concurrently, projects are delivered more quickly and efficiently than traditional approaches.
“BumbleBee shows what’s possible when housing and support providers work together from the start,” said Catharine Vandelinde, Executive Director of Options Housing. “It’s a practical, collaborative model that helps us deliver more supportive housing faster and more efficiently.”
“This partnership allows us to tackle the challenges of homelessness and housing instability from the start,” said Mark MacAulay, President and CEO of Ottawa Salus. “By embedding mental health care and substance use care directly into supportive housing, we address not just the symptoms but the root causes. This integrated approach builds stronger foundations for individuals to heal, recover, and achieve lasting independence.”
“The BumbleBee name reflects the spirit of this initiative: cross-pollination, collaboration, and shared purpose,” said Marc Maracle, Executive Director of Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation. “By bringing together diverse partners and perspectives, we’re creating an ecosystem that supports Indigenous housing and strengthens the entire community.”
This model embodies a principle that health and housing leaders have been calling for across the country: housing is healthcare. Stable housing improves people’s well-being and helps individuals build a foundation for the future.
Aligned with government priorities, the BumbleBee Initiative reflects a sector-wide shift from process-driven to results-driven collaboration. It aligns with:
- City of Ottawa Housing Innovation Task Force, Housing and Homelessness Leadership Table and 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan;
- Ontario’s Supportive Housing Best Practice Guide
- Government of Canada: Build Canada Homes, which prioritizes transitional and supportive housing and portfolio-based collaboration.
“BumbleBee is exactly the kind of innovation Ottawa needs. It brings housing and support providers together from the very beginning, aligning expertise, resources, and care to get people into homes faster. This is about more than building housing. It’s about giving people stability, support, and a real chance to thrive. That’s the impact we want for every resident, and it’s a model other cities can look to for inspiration,” said Mark Sutcliffe, Mayor of Ottawa.
BumbleBee’s first projects are currently in development, with partners exploring opportunities to expand the model across Ottawa, and to share lessons that can help scale supportive housing across the province.
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Media Contact
Esther Njuguna
Media Relations Specialist
Ottawa Community Housing
media@och.ca
343-961-4035
Quick Points
- BumbleBee is a new collaborative model for supportive housing in Ottawa.
- Developed collaboratively by Ottawa Community Housing, Options Housing, Ottawa Salus and Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation.
- Aligns development, supports, and funding from the start to speed up delivery.
- Designed to be scalable and adaptable to different sites and community needs.
- Supports City, Provincial, and Federal housing priorities.
- First projects are underway with expansion planned city-wide.
About Ottawa Community Housing Corporation
Ottawa Community Housing offers approximately 15,500 homes to about 33,000 tenants, including seniors, families, individuals, and people with disabilities. These homes are located in various communities throughout Ottawa and house a diverse population with different languages, cultures, and ethnicities. OCH is Ottawa’s primary community housing provider, managing two-thirds of the city’s housing portfolio and ranking as the second largest in Ontario. In 2025, OCH earned recognition for the eighth consecutive year as one of the National Capital Region’s Top Employers.
www.och-lco.ca | X | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky
About Options Housing
We are a group of individuals committed to ending homelessness in Ottawa. We believe that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home, no matter their background, no matter their challenges. We want to see real and lasting change in our community and we know that the best way to end homelessness is to prevent it from happening in the first place. These beliefs underpin everything we do.
www.optionshousing.ca | X | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
About Ottawa Salus
Salus has been an unwavering champion for people living with mental illness for more than 45 years. We provide a first step in the recovery process — a stable home environment — including a transitional rehabilitation program, shared homes and independent living. We also provide mental health programs and services that are customized to meet each of our clients’ unique needs on their journey to well-being and independence.
www.salusottawa.org | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
About Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation
Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation is committed to a holistic and comprehensive approach to housing that includes both those Aboriginal people at risk of losing their housing, or those who are currently homeless.
Gignul, working in partnership with other Aboriginal organizations, focuses on both short- and long-term solutions, including supportive shelters to affordable, independent living.