Easter Season Action!

Posted on April 11, 2011 by

Make Homelessness a Federal Election Issue

Please Write or e-mail the Candidates in your Riding

Put a Roof on Poverty display boardIn this election season, we have a strong opportunity to let those who will represent us in Parliament know that supported housing is a critical issue for Canadians, across the political spectrum.

You can find the emails of all local candidates in your Ottawa riding here, and a sample letter you can copy, edit and send to each of them here (please CC us on any messages so we get a sense of the impact of the campaign).

You can read or print our full call-out letter here and download an Easter Action bulletin insert to share with your church or community from the ‘Box’ in the right-hand column of this page.

Thank you in advance for your efforts in helping to Put a Roof on Poverty!

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February is Ottawa Budget Season! Contact your City Councillor to Put a Roof on Poverty

Posted on January 27, 2011 by

Thank you!

Over the past couple of months, you and others have sent hundreds of letters to the new Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, urging him to ensure that funds are available for supported housing, especially for the homeless. We know that he got the message.

Why another message now?

It’s budget time at City Council. The draft City budget has just come down. Some $10 million is earmarked for housing and reducing poverty. It is important that this go not only for sheltering the homeless, but also for supported housing to actually heal longterm homelessness.

Send a message to your City Councillor

Using the City of Ottawa website, you can find the name, address and email of your local City Councillor and let them know how crucial it is that the new budget include supported housing.

What to say

Please let her or him know that our Standing Committees (especially Planning which is now responsible for housing), and the budget provisions themselves, need to make dollar commitments to supported housing. (Standing Committee dates, as well as consultations in your area can be found by clicking here.)

The time is now!

Remember, the budget will be discussed during all of February, especially in the Planning Committee on 8 February. It will be debated further in early March. Now is the time for us all to make our voices heard.

Through our messages to the Councillors who need our votes, let us ensure that the City does Put a Roof on Poverty.

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Let’s Put a Roof on Poverty!

Posted on November 12, 2010 by

Our Advent Act of Compassion:
Click here to email your City Councillor

Healing Homelessness with Supported Housing Saves and Saves and Saves!

Pam Sheehan, Emergency Room nurse at the Ottawa Hospital, and Rev. Ellie Barrington, talk about how healing homelessness will impact on hospital E.R. waiting times.

That’s the message we’re getting together to get across to our political decision-makers. We can empower them with our voices and votes, to make supported housing programs in Ottawa a political priority.

Supported Housing for the Homeless:

  • saves lives and dignity
  • saves the face of our city
  • saves millions of health care dollars, on repeat hospitalization and E.R. visits by homeless people who can’t get better, because they can’t go home.

The United Church in the Ottawa region is 16,000 voices strong. Together with our Faith Partners and Allies, we have the power to effect the political decisions that will PUT A ROOF ON POVERTY!

Let our new mayor and your City Councillor know that you know: Poverty and Homelessness are not just an inner city issue. The homeless downtown are the lost from all our neighbourhoods.

You can send a message to Jim Watson or your City Councillor, read-up on the campaign, or get in touch with us at putaroofonpoverty@gmail.com

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