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Keeping Housing Affordable

What if affordable housing could be available to anyone who needs it, at any time?

What if it’s community empowering community to make that happen?

OCLT apartment building in Vanier.

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

There is an affordable housing crisis in the Ottawa region. Far more people need an affordable place to live than there are available options. With this, we are working hard to preserve affordable housing, ensuring it remains affordable forever. This means keeping it in the hands of the community, away from private interests.

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 headlease is 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 acquire and steward land for the benefit of local communities. By removing property from the competitive market and pooling resources within the affordable housing sector, land trusts 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.