Anglicans throughout the diocese are being encouraged to engage with candidates in the October 26 municipal elections in support of affordable housing and reducing homelessness.
The Bishop’s Panel on Housing Justice (BPHJ) is providing bulletin inserts to every parish with facts about homelessness and affordable housing and questions for candidates.
“Housing affordability and homelessness touch every community across the diocese,” Moira Alie, the BPHJ chair said. “Municipal leaders need to know this is an issue people care about.”
The campaign is taking place as Centre 454, operated by Belong Ottawa, a Community Ministry of the Diocese that serves many people who are homeless or precariously housed, faces a deadline to move from its longtime location at St. Albans Church on King Edward by Jan. 31, 2027.
Belong Ottawa has made an urgent request to the City of Ottawa to extend the deadline to ensure its essential services can continue without interruption, avoid the dislocation of a move in the dead of winter and allow for meaningful planning for its future. Details of Centre 454’s services to the most vulnerable are on Belong Ottawa’s website (belongottawa.ca). There is also a letter-writing campaign supporting its request for an extension of the deadline: Centre 454 Advocacy Campaign.
For the municipal elections, the panel recommends several steps for churchgoers who see the bulletin and volunteer to help. One option is to attend all-candidate meetings and ask questions, using the information provided. Another is to engage directly one-on-one with a candidate, proactively or when the candidate shows up on a doorstep.
For anyone who misses the bulletin but would like to participate, details are posted on the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa website. ottawa.anglican.ca/what-we-do/homelessness-and-affordable-housing
All municipalities in the diocese have good current information on candidates and election arrangements on their websites. (See sample of links at the end of this article.)
The bulletin insert (which can be downloaded from the diocesan website) begins with the fact that homelessness in the Diocese has reached record highs. It offers basic facts (such as 3,000 people are homeless in Ottawa every night); suggestions for municipal action; and questions for candidates, including, “Will you make ending homelessness and building more affordable housing a priority if you are elected?”
The panel’s goal is to make sure homelessness and affordable housing are municipal election issues. Candidates who are faced with a multitude of issues need to hear from many voters to make something a priority.
“We want it to be an election issue,” said panel member Joyce Potter. “We want people running for council to be aware of the issues and to have to think about their positions.”
The panel sees the election initiative as part of its mandate to inform parishioners about the housing and homelessness situations. Feedback from participating volunteers is encouraged.
It’s easy to find out who is running for election in your municipality. In Ottawa, searching for Ottawa election candidates 2026 brings up full details.
Links for other municipalities:
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