---
title: "Homelessness ranks first among Ottawa voter concerns, new Nanos poll finds"
description: "A Nanos Research survey of 815 Ottawa residents, commissioned by the Ottawa Mission and released 19 October 2026, shows housing and homelessness ranked as the top municipal issue at 38 per cent, ahead of policing at 22 per cent and transit at 19 per cent."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/ottawa-homelessness-poll-nanos-2026-10-20"
last_updated: "2026-10-20T13:44:44.558Z"
---

A Nanos Research survey released on 19 October 2026 found that 38 per cent of Ottawa residents name housing and homelessness as the city's most important municipal issue, above policing at 22 per cent and light rail and transportation at 19 per cent. The Ottawa Mission commissioned the survey, and CityNews Ottawa reported it.

Nanos Research conducted a random telephone survey of 815 Ottawa residents aged 18 and older between September 25 and October 6, 2026. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

## Homelessness concern has grown since 2019

The Ottawa Mission last commissioned a similar survey in 2019. At that time, 29 per cent of residents ranked housing and homelessness as their top concern. The 2026 result of 38 per cent is 9 percentage points higher.

The share of residents who believe someone they care about faces at least a small risk of homelessness also rose, from 46 per cent in 2019 to 56 per cent in 2026. According to the Ottawa Mission's release, 85 per cent of residents say homelessness has a serious impact on people who experience it, and 59 per cent say it has serious consequences for Canada as a country.

Peter Tilley, CEO of the Ottawa Mission, said in the release: "Homelessness, food insecurity, substance use and mental health distress have reached far beyond an emergency to now catastrophic levels."

## How Ottawans see the causes

The Nanos survey also asked residents what they believe drives homelessness. In 2026, 54 per cent pointed to physical or mental health conditions or addictions as the largest contributor. That is down from 62 per cent in 2019.

Over the same period, the share who named a lack of affordable housing as the main cause rose from 17 per cent to 23 per cent, according to the Ottawa Mission's release.

On food insecurity, respondents estimated that 33 per cent of Ottawa households cannot afford healthy food. On responsibility, 42 per cent said all levels of government should share the work of addressing homelessness.

## What this means for voters on October 26

Ottawa voters choose a mayor, one councillor for each of 24 wards, and school board trustees on 26 October 2026. Housing, shelter access and homelessness have been a recurring theme in the mayoral race. The full list of candidates for mayor and every ward is at [/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor).

Advance voting day was 16 October. Voting places across Ottawa are open on 26 October 2026. The City of Ottawa's voting information is at ottawa.ca.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/on/ottawa-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.