Committee approves draft budget for community and social services, recreation, culture and parks

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The City’s Community Services Committee today approved its portions of Draft Budget 2024, which represents a $1.2-billion total operating budget and capital investments totaling $142.1 million. This budget invests in housing options for all residents and aims to improve access to mental health and addiction support, social services, child care, arts and culture, and parks and recreation.

The City is committing $33.5 million in municipal funds to improve access to housing options and provide support to keep people housed, including:

• $15.7 million for the housing and homelessness investment plan
• $8.8 million for housing benefits administered by Ontario Works
• $4.6 million for family and emergency shelters
• $3.1 million for other homelessness programs
• $1.3 million to support the social housing program

In addition, the City will invest $5 million towards the Integrated Transition to Housing Strategy to get people housed more quickly and address pressures in the shelter system. The City’s investments complement funding from other levels of government, including $48.4 million under the provincial Homelessness Prevention Program, $15.8 million in federal Reaching Home funding and $15.2 million from the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative.

The draft budget also invests in support and care for those most in need, and in services that strengthen the well-being of the community, including:

• $30 million to help non-profit social services address poverty and inequitable access to services for residents facing the greatest barriers, through the Community Funding Framework
• $2.3 million to strengthen community services through the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, focussing on:
  • promoting mental health
  • advancing employment and mentorship for racialized youth
  • providing mental health support to Indigenous communities and preventing violence against Indigenous women and girls
• $550,000 in continued funding to supplement $2.5 million allocated in 2023 for a community-based alternate response prototype in Centretown for people experiencing mental health and substance use crises
• Investing in community-based crime prevention and intervention programs
• Approximately 700 new child care spaces in City-run daycares as part of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system.
• $1 million for additional resources and person-centred care at the City’s long-term care centres

The City is investing in new and renewed parks, recreation and cultural facilities, as well as arts and cultural programming to help keep residents physically and mentally active, including:

• $71.5 million to develop and expand new facilities, including $66 million for a new recreation complex in Riverside South.
• $15.6 million to develop new parks.
• $29.1 million to renew recreation facilities, including pools, sports buildings and community centres.
• $6.6 million to renew outdoor recreation facilities, including playgrounds and tennis courts.
• $1.9 million to renew culture facilities, including museums.
• $13 million to support local cultural and recreation organizations.
• $1 million to install generators at emergency reception and lodging sites across the City.

The draft budget includes $43 million to maintain 4,505 hectares of parkland and invests $250,000 to support new parks and other maintenance activities.

Council will consider Draft Budget 2024 on Wednesday, December 6.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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