The average length of stay for single men in Ottawa’s shelters declined from 65 nights in 2014 to 61 nights in 2016 (Table 2) – representing some success in finding housing solutions, with services and supports, for some of the shelters’ longest-term single male residents, and diverting others from becoming chronically homeless. [...] In particular, a growing number of older women are staying for longer periods in shelter due to a lack of alternative options to meet their health and housing needs. [...] It is clear that more needs to be done to address the housing precarity of our aging population, and to address the needs of older women, specifically. [...] The number of youth staying within Ottawa’s youth shelters (Tables 1 and 2) declined significantly (from 387 youth in 2015 to 287 in 2016) while the use of shelter beds actually increased by 8.4% -- as the average length of stay increased from 32 to 47 nights. [...] The City be paid directly to a qualifying tenant in contracts with private landlords for a specific unit(s) who need of assistance to cover housing rental are willing to participate in the program.