Ottawa Youth Homelessness Down 21% in Nine Months Under Head-Leasing Model

The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) said on November 2 that five Canadian communities have achieved measurable reductions in homelessness over the past year, including Ottawa, where youth homelessness has fallen 21% since January 2026 under a dedicated project. (Photo: file image of downtown Ottawa.)

Scattered community integrated head-leasing: housing first, support before and after move-in

Ottawa's project, "Ending Youth Homelessness in Ottawa through Scattered Community Integrated Head-Leasing," secures housing for youth through an innovative head-leasing model and offers them support before and after they move in. Nine months into the 12-month project, youth homelessness in the city has already fallen 21%. The project is supported by the $45-million Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund (HRIF), led by CAEH and funded by the federal government through Reaching Home, which backs local, data-driven improvement projects.

Five communities with results; two other Ontario communities fell further

Beyond Ottawa, four other communities reported progress: the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario, cut chronic homelessness by 52% since October 2025, and St. Thomas-Elgin, Ontario, cut chronic homelessness by 37% since October 2025 and youth homelessness by 50% since February 2026. CAEH also unveiled a new website and visual identity ahead of the 13th annual National Conference on Ending Homelessness, taking place in Winnipeg from November 3 to 5.

Source: Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness news release (2026-11-02, Newswire).