City of Ottawa Archives

Shining a Light on SAMS Data The City of Ottawa’s Case Management Tool

by Kurt DesRoches | September 2024

The City of Ottawa’s Case Management Tool is a successful replacement to working out of the Provincial SAMS reports. It’s more accurate, more timely and more user-friendly. It comes in the form of a suite of Power BI dashboards tailored to the needs of the user groups. These dashboards are operationalized and are the prime sources of information for Ontario Works case management. Prior to this, Ottawa relied on reports from Social Assistance Legacy Information (SALI) for performance metrics and manually-maintained Excel files to keep on top of caseloads. Learn more about the work Ottawa is doing to help their community.

Service Delivery Approach with the Catherine Street Community Service Hub

by Kristine Haines-Chiarello | March 2024

In August 2022, the Catherine Street Community Service Hub (CSCS Hub) was created. The CSCS Hub is an innovative way of providing integrated person-centred services through collocation. Caring and knowledgeable staff and partners work together to create a safe resting space where everyone is welcome to drop in and access coordinated wrap around municipal and community services and supports in one location.

This service delivery approach aims to streamline the client experience, increase the capacity to deliver responsive services and support, and reinforce accountability to clients, staff, and community.

Reflections on the 2023 Exchange Conference

by Tod Duncan | June 2023

Held in Ottawa this past May, OMSSA’s 2023 Exchange Conference brought together more than 330 people for two days of learning, sharing, and connecting. It was a huge success! Over the one and a half days of the conference, attendees got to see many great examples of the excellence of OMSSA Member organizations and the staff and managers who carry out important work geared towards improving the lives of so many Ontarians. The Conference program was packed with content related to the work that OMSSA Members do in housing and homelessness, children’s services, and employment and income supports. Learn more about our 2023 Exchange Conference.

Serving The Community Through OMST

by Kristine Haines-Chiarello | February 2023

OMSSA is featuring several of our 2022 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read the entry from the City of Ottawa. Social Service Staff members took steps to address concerns of mental health with an increased digital divide and aggravating pre-existing inequities as the effects began to impact individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those concerns were addressed by challenging the status quo and removing barriers to providing essential human services when people were most in need. In 2021, the Outreach and Mobile Services Team (OMST) began to offer outreach services to individuals and families.