Cassandra, a new Rental Coordinator, signed her first lease with a family in January 2021.

She is happy in her new role, which helps her connect people on the Social Housing Registry of Ottawa’s waiting list with vacant homes in OCH communities.

Cassandra’s mom lived in an OCH community and started volunteering. After that, she joined OCH as part of the maintenance team and then moved to a job in accounts payable. From this, Cassandra learned, “OCH is a place where you can make a career.”

Cassandra herself started working part-time in OCH’s Call Centre during university. After that, she became a Housing Administrator, then a Tenant Debt Resolution Coordinator and most recently, she started working as a Rental Coordinator.

“There’s a lot of potential to grow here,” Cassandra said.

One of her favourite things about her new role is that she is the tenants’ first point of contact with OCH. That means she can set the standard for what they can expect in their interactions with staff.

Her day usually starts by checking her voicemails. Right now, she is working on a project that aims to house as many tenants as possible, so the team is dealing with many applicants.

When she is not dealing with applicants, she is reviewing OCH’s vacant homes or coordinating with other departments, such as pest management, maintenance and landscaping.

“We want to make sure everything is smooth for new residents on move-in,” she said.