PAL Ottawa provides senior arts workers (aged 55+) with affordable housing and support. Arts workers enliven our cultural fabric, but the majority live at or below the poverty line. They contribute billions to local economies, but often live in substandard accommodations when affordable housing is virtually non-existent.

The building, ‘PAL Place’, will provide 86 mixed-income units by 2025, including 20 units designated for artists with disabilities. The building will also provide a creative space on-site where residents can continue sharing their creative talents.

Former ballet dancer and artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada, Karen Kain, has this to say about PAL Ottawa, “Having spent my entire life in dance, I’ve not only had the opportunity to work with artists from many disciplines but also to become keenly aware of the financial sacrifices they make in order to bring joy and entertainment to others. Our musicians, dancers, visual artists, singers, actors, and technical crews have given us so much. Now, we can give back by ensuring they have the safe and affordable housing they deserve, and at a stage in life when they need it most. This is why I am so pleased to support PAL Ottawa’s initiative to build an affordable housing complex in the nation’s capital for artists in their senior years. I cannot think of a better way to honour and support arts workers who have devoted their lives to enriching our own and the world around us.”

Many local artists currently living in Ottawa have also shown their support of our work, including award-winning musician Lynn Miles, Ottawa’s Blues Lady Maria Hawkins, and Juno-winning singer-songwriter Kellylee Evans, to name a few.

How can you help us?

  1. Donations for this one-time campaign of $2 million (of which $1.5 has been raised) will go towards providing deeply affordable housing and a home atmosphere of creative spaces for the musicians, performers, writers, visual artists and other arts workers who will reside at PAL Place.
  2. For a look at our current major donations, see our Cumulative Major Donor Appreciation Board.
  3. Contact PAL Ottawa for more information, including a look at the PAL Place Case for Support.