One of the most important items in the battle against homelessness is land. People need places to live.
The City of Ottawa is looking at finding a bit more land through a federal program.
A report prepared for the City's Planning Committee suggests Council apply to acquire a plot of land at the northeast corner of Carling and Bell Street South, under the Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative.
The land is a parking lot right now. If the application is successful, the City could acquire the land for a nominal fee - usually a single dollar.
They'd then sell that land for a dollar to a non-profit housing corporation.
The report estimates, under current zoning rules, as many as 55 bachelor apartments could be built on the land.
A suggested timeline says the land could be transferred to a housing provider by May 2018, provided the City's application to the federal government is successful.
The same program was used in 2011, when the City acquired land on Montreal Road at Den Haag Drive for $1.00 and sold it for the same price to the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization. A 74-unit building has since been built.