A recent Nanos Research survey commissioned by the Ottawa Mission indicates that over half of Ottawa's population fears homelessness for themselves or their acquaintances. the data, released in October 2026, highlights a growing public perception that housing affordability is a primary driver of the crisis.
The 57% of Ottawa residents facing homelessness risk
The latest data from Nanos Research reveals a significant increase in anxiety regarding housing stability since 2019. according to the poll, 57 percent of Ottawa residents now believe there is at least a small chance that they or someone close to them could become homeless, a sharp rise from 2019 when 53 percent of respondents felt no such risk for their inner circle.
Personal vulnerability is also on the rise. The report says that 24 percent of Ottawa residents now perceive a small personal risk of homelessness, up from 20 percent in 2019, while those identifying as high-risk grew from 2 percent to 3 percent. This suggests that the fear of displacement is no longer confined to the most marginalized populations but is permeating broader demographics within the city.
Why affordable housing concerns rose to 23 percent
There is a notable shift in how the public identifies the root causes of homelessness in Ottawa. While 54 percent of respondents still point to addiction and mental health issues as the primary drivers, this is a decline from 62 percent in 2019. Conversely, the number of people citing a lack of affordable housing as a key factor has climbed from 17 percent to 23 percent .
This trend echoes a wider North American pattern where systemic economic failures—specifically the gap between stagnant wages and skyrocketing rents—are beginning to overshadow individual health crises in the public consciousness . The Ottawa Mission's data suggests that residents are increasingly viewing homelessness as a structural failure of the housing market rather than a purely social or medical issue .
From Bank Street to Overbrook: The geographic spread of the crisis
The physical footprint of homelessness in the capital is expanding beyond traditional hubs. Peter Tilley, CEO of the Ottawa Mission, noted that the crisis has moved "beyond the market," with displaced populations stretching down Bank Street into Somerset Ward and expanding east into Overbrook.
This geographic dispersion indicates that the lack of available shelter and affordable units is pushing vulnerable individuals into diverse neighborhoods across the city. As the Ottawa Mission reports, the visibility of the crisis in these various wards is likely contributing to the heightened sense of risk reported by the general public in the Nanos Research poll.
The 19 percent who look to the federal government
When asked to assign responsibility for solving the crisis, Ottawa residents are largely in agreement that the burden is shared, with over 80 percent supporting a multi-sector approach.. However, the federal government carries the heaviest weight of expectation at 19 percent, followed closely by municipalities at 17 percent and provincial authorities at 16 percent.
Despite this consensus on shared responsibility, several critical data points remain missing from the report. The survey tracks the perception of risk and the assignment of blame, but it does not provide the actual number of people currently experiencing homelessness in Ottawa ,nor does it specify which government policies residents believe are failing. furthermore, the poll does not include responses from the homeless population itself, leaving a gap in understanding whether the public's perception of "affordable housing" aligns with the actual barriers faced by those on the street.
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