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Keeping Housing Affordable

What if affordable housing is available to anyone who needs it, anytime? What if it’s community empowering community to make that happen?
OCLT apartment building in Vanier.

Ottawa Community Land Trust (OCLT) is making this vision a reality.

There is an affordable housing crisis in Ottawa-Gatineau. Far more people need an affordable place to live than there are available options. So we are putting the creation and preservation of affordable housing in the hands of community.

How does OCLT work?

  1. We use social finance and grants to acquire existing rental properties and move them into non-profit status.
  2. We secure vacant land for future affordable housing development.
  3. We headlease* land at lower rates to non-profit and co-operative community housing organizations.

    *What’s a headlease? A primary commercial lease between a landlord and tenant where the tenant can sublease the premises to subtenants.

What else does OCLT do?

  • We develop social finance tools;
  • Collaborate with local non-profits, co-operatives, and municipalities;
  • Engage with the broader community;
  • Advocate for policies that support long-term housing affordability.

Land trust movement

Community land trusts are gaining in popularity as the affordable housing crisis persists across Canada. By removing property from the competitive market and pooling resources within the affordable housing sector, we can preserve and create assets that benefit the community. This can result in a range of housing opportunities, including housing co-operatives, non-profit rental housing, and affordable home ownership.