Reconciliation
Options Bytown is committed to reconciliation in every aspect of the services we provide. We will listen and walk alongside Indigenous people to close the gap on the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who are homeless in Odawa/Ottawa.
Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation
Options Bytown is committed to making a meaningful contribution to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. We are aware of the history of colonial policies and practices that have had destructive and devastating impacts on Indigenous people, culture, and language. We also recognize the role that social service agencies have played, both historically and in the present day, in the ways that colonization practices have directly resulted in homelessness and displacement from land, culture, and communities.
We are aware of the disproportionate number of Indigenous people that experience homelessness, both across Canada and in Ottawa specifically. This disparity is emblematic of the lasting effects of harmful colonial practices that continue to create vast inequities that impact every aspect of Indigenous peoples’ lives.
As an organization made up of individuals, we commit to learning how to practice reconciliation in our everyday lives. By listening to and learning from Indigenous partners and community, we will incorporate reconciliation into all aspects of our organization. Our action will be based on our clients’ needs for safe, secure, and supportive housing that responds to the specific cultural needs of Indigenous communities.
In adopting this Reconciliation Action Plan, our goal is to cultivate an organizational culture that listens to Indigenous people and respects the culture and needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. Options Bytown is committed to finding long-term, Indigenous-led solutions to the homelessness crisis that disproportionately affects these communities.
Our hope for reconciliation is that Indigenous people come to know Options Bytown as a community that listens to their lived experiences and responds by providing a safe space to live and heal.
Reconciliation Action Plan
Options Bytown unveiled their Reconciliation Action Plan that aims to promote reconciliation practices and efforts within their own organization and the housing and homelessness sector of Ottawa.
On September 29, 2022, Options Bytown invited staff, board members and community partners to the launch of their Reconciliation Action Plan. This Reconciliation Action Plan is a public acknowledgement and commitment on behalf of Options Bytown staff and board, and we offer it up to others who may want to build their own path towards a more equitable and just community for us all.
“Option Bytown’s sincere commitment to reconciliation is a great inspiration for other organizations willing to take the necessary steps to improve their relationship with Indigenous Peoples and be truly respectful and inclusive of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples. I am honoured to have contributed to this work and, as a First Nation person, welcome Option Bytown’s efforts to promote reconciliation.” (Allan Clarke, Reconciliation Action Plan working group volunteer consultant).
The Options Bytown Reconciliation Action Plan is a framework for our organisation to build respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples, and to contribute to the work of reconciliation. It includes practical actions that will support our contribution to reconciliation, both internally with regard to governance and the recruitment and development of staff, and externally with regard to partnerships with Indigenous housing and support organizations and its delivery of services to the communities within which they operate.
Founded on the belief that we all deserve a home, Options Bytown has committed to learning how to better support Indigenous Peoples facing chronic homelessness. This is only the beginning of their work, it is a ‘living’ document that will guide them through reconciliation efforts and provide an example to any other organizations looking to develop their own Reconciliation Action Plan.