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OTTAWA – A new initiative and partnership model in Ottawa aims to help better the connection between housing and health with a focus on substance use, mental illness and homelessness.

The BumbleBee Initiative was developed collaboratively by Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), Options Housing, Ottawa Salus and the Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation and is designed to deliver more homes with wraparound supports more efficiently, at greater scale and in less time, explains a release.

Ottawa currently faces long waits for supportive housing, with demand outpacing supply. The BumbleBee Initiative tackles these challenges creating a streamlined, scalable model that aligns funding, timeline and expertise to deliver results faster.

“Collaboration and partnerships are in our DNA; they’re how we tackle the complex challenges people face every day,” said Stéphane Giguère, Chief Executive Officer of Ottawa Community Housing, in a statement. “The BumbleBee Initiative creates a clear, co-ordinated path, allowing each partner to focus on what they do best: providing homes and the supports people need to thrive.”

The model is designed with pre-developed templates for building design and service models that can be tailored to different sites and community needs. By running construction and program development concurrently, projects are delivered more quickly, the release adds.

“This partnership allows us to tackle the challenges of homelessness and housing instability from the start,” said Mark MacAulay, president and CEO of Ottawa Salus. “By embedding mental health care and substance use care directly into supportive housing, we address not just the symptoms but the root causes. This integrated approach builds stronger foundations for individuals to heal, recover, and achieve lasting independence.”

BumbleBee’s first projects are currently in development, the release explains, with partners exploring opportunities to expand the model across Ottawa, and to share lessons that can help scale supportive housing across the province.

The initiative is also designed to grow as additional partners join.