CMHA Ottawa announces relocation to McArthur Ave.

Leading community mental health services provider to be headquartered in new, central location

(Ottawa, Aug. 20, 2019) – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – The Ottawa branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has announced plans to relocate its offices to the city’s thriving Vanier neighbourhood this coming fall.

The community-based charitable organization has purchased and renovated a three-storey multi-tenant professional building in the heart of Vanier, where it will continue its expansion in order to better serve the public.

“With feedback from our clients and staff, we identified the Vanier community as the perfect area to establish a new home for our agency,” said Executive Director Tim Simboli. “So, when we discovered the building at 311 McArthur Avenue, we knew right away it would be a good fit – it ticked all the boxes. The community seems to be as excited about the move as we are.”

With 90 per cent of CMHA Ottawa’s services provided in clients’ own homes, getting around the city easily is very important to the organization’s approximate 180 staff. The new location is closer to the downtown core and will afford CMHA’s clients and staff better access to public transit and on-site parking, as well as the opportunity for visiting cyclists, pedestrians and drivers to use McArthur Avenue’s dedicated bicycle lanes and traffic-calmed roads.

Clients, staff and the community will be able to enjoy newly renovated shared spaces, meeting rooms, a fitness centre, and more—all in a supportive work environment—in addition to a greener building than its current location, with LED lighting, green space, and further environmental considerations. The renovation project is being managed by local firm Lalande + Doyle Architects Inc.

A “meet-and-greet” session with the local community is forthcoming, as is an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

CMHA Ottawa is an independent, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to promoting good mental health and improving the quality of life of individuals experiencing serious mental illness. Founded in 1953, the community-based agency is committed to the development and implementation of support systems and services, and encouraging public action to strengthen community mental health services and related policies and legislation. CMHA is an integral part of Ottawa’s health care services and is primarily funded by the Government of Ontario through the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), with additional funding from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC), the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), and the City of Ottawa.

Fast facts:

• CMHA Ottawa focuses on treatment, rehabilitation and support for individuals with serious mental illnesses using strength-based practices and evidence-based decision-making, as well as social action and community capacity-building and education (including stigma-busting campaigns and training for professionals)
• CMHA Ottawa services are extremely decentralized, with approximately 90 per cent of the services provided in clients’ homes and communities; CMHA is guided by the belief that people’s recovery is most effective when they have a place of their own to call home (housing first)
• As a health care organization, CMHA Ottawa is proud to hold accreditation with “exemplary standing” as determined by Accreditation Canada
• To find out more about CMHA Ottawa, please visit the website at https://ottawa.cmha.ca

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Media contact:

Patrick Jodoin

Communications and Community Relations Specialist, CMHA Ottawa 

[email protected]