Ottawa Mission reports 'unprecedented need' as shelter reaches full capacity all year

The Ottawa Mission is operating under "unprecedented need," according to its 2025-2026 impact report released Wednesday. The city's largest homeless shelter reported its beds and overflow sleeping mats fully occupied all 365 days of the past year, with just over 8,743 visits total and about 1,370 distinct individuals served.

The shelter distributed over 1.2 million meals in 2025—a record—averaging 3,352 meals per day. CEO Peter Tilley said the growing unsheltered homelessness, increased overdoses, and rising encampments are compounding the strain. "The community is under increasing stress," Tilley said.

Tilley pointed to Ontario's decision two years ago to close all four of Ottawa's supervised consumption sites as a significant factor. The province, under Premier Doug Ford, converted those sites to Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, which do not allow drug consumption or product testing. The federal government assessment states that supervised consumption services save lives, connect people to social services, and serve as pathways to treatment.

The Mission's approach prioritizes housing first. Last year, 59 people were diverted from shelter through its diversion program, and 165 were placed in safe housing. About 12 per cent of shelter residents were refugees. The shelter also operates a front-facing food bank and grocery bag distribution program; Ottawa Public Health data shows one in four households in Ottawa are food insecure.

The Mission plans its annual turkey drive. No information is available on city or provincial funding allocated to address homelessness and addiction, or timelines for policy changes.