This post was written by Ottawa Community Housing Corporation

Finding a stable home is challenging for anyone in today’s housing market, but for people with complex health or social needs, the barriers are even greater. Long waitlists, rising rents, and fragmented services often leave people cycling between shelters, temporary accommodations, and short-term solutions.  Without stable housing, people often remain stuck in emergency or temporary systems, limiting the effectiveness of health and social supports.

This reality inspired the BumbleBee Initiative, developed collaboratively by Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), Options Housing, Salus Ottawa, and Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation. Rather than working in silos, these partners asked: what if housing and support services were planned together from the start? What if the people building homes and those providing care worked side by side, listening to residents and learning from each other’s expertise?

As communities across Canada work to expand supportive housing, BumbleBee offers a model that can be adapted and scaled beyond a single project or location. For the partners involved, the approach was clear: supportive housing must be developed from the ground up as more than just a roof and walls. It should be developed in a way that allows supports to be delivered efficiently and consistently over time.

From Silos to Systems: How BumbleBee works

“OCH brings expertise in large-scale affordable housing development, while our partners provide essential frontline supports,” explains Stéphane Giguère, CEO of Ottawa Community Housing. “By combining these strengths from day one, we can deliver housing faster and create communities that truly help people thrive.”

At the core of BumbleBee is collaboration embedded at every stage development. Partners align their planning and resources, and reduce duplication, helping streamline the delivery of supportive housing that meets the real needs of the community.

“BumbleBee shows what’s possible when housing and support providers work together from the start,” explains Catharine Vandelinde, Executive Director of Options Housing. “It’s a practical, collaborative model that helps us deliver supportive housing faster and more effectively.”

Social supports, mental health care and substance use programs are embedded directly into the housing environment, addressing the root causes of housing instability rather than just the immediate symptoms. “Integrating care into the housing design creates stronger foundations for residents to recover, rebuild, and live more independently,” says Mark MacAulay, President and CEO of Ottawa Salus.

Cultural responsiveness is another cornerstone of the BumbleBee Initiative. “The name reflects cross-pollination, collaboration, and shared purpose,” says Marc Maracle, Executive Director of Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation. “By bringing together diverse partners and perspectives, we’re creating an ecosystem that supports Indigenous housing and benefits the wider community. It’s about fostering healing, dignity, and belonging for everyone.”

The first BumbleBee projects are underway in Ottawa, including a development at Somerset Street East. These homes are being designed to integrate supportive services directly into the living environment, with dedicated on-site programming space to support consistent, on-site delivery.

Ultimately, BumbleBee reflects a principle recognized nationwide: housing is health. Stable homes provide a foundation for people to focus on well-being, build routines, and invest in their futures. The initiative aligns with local, provincial, and national priorities, including Ottawa’s Housing Innovation Task Force, the 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan, Ontario’s Supportive Housing Best Practice Guide, and the federal Build Canada Homes program.

Through coordinated planning grounded in expertise and a deep understanding of community, BumbleBee demonstrates how supportive housing can be delivered more efficiently and at greater scale. When housing and supports are designed together from the outset, communities are better positioned to expand supportive housing where it’s needed most.

Learn more about BumbleBee: https://bumblebeehousing.ca/