Our mission
The Lowertown Community Resource Center offers free social services and support to residents of its community, in all their diversity, in order to improve their quality of life.
Since 1970, the LCRC has been providing a range of social and community services to individuals and families living in Lowertown East and West.
The Lowertown Community Resource Center offers free social services and support to residents of its community, in all their diversity, in order to improve their quality of life.
A Center that residents know, where they recognize themselves and get involved.
Volunteers in 2024
People using the food bank (2024)
residents benefiting from our services (2024)
feel welcome and treated with respect
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It is essential to provide opportunities for young people to thrive. That is why we offer a variety of activities and programs tailored to children & youth in the Lowertown, through sports, after-school programs, summer camp, or our drop-in.
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Our aim is to combat food insecurity by providing essential food items to those in need and opportunities to cook and share meals. With the commitment of volunteers, donors, and partners, we help thousands of people in our community.
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Our social support workers are here to listen and offer support for questions and challenges related to housing, finances, food insecurity, physical and mental health, substance use, and much more.
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Want to give back to your community? New to Canada? Need to complete volunteer or community service hours before graduating high school?
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Our social support services can be tailored to meet the needs of newcomers. We offer assistance in navigating social services in Ottawa and provide access to information systems on community resources relevant to newcomers.
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Community engagement is the act of coming together, collaborating, and taking action to meet the needs of community members. The CRCBV supports individuals, groups, and local organizations, and helps create new projects for the future.
Throughout the year, the CRCBV organizes or helps organize events for local residents.
La clinique d’impôts de la Basse-Ville est un service saisonnier essentiel qui permet aux résidents de faire leurs retours d’impôts gratuitement. Offerte par des bénévoles dévoués, cette
The Centre de ressources communautaires de la Basse-Ville (CRCBV) warmly invites you to its 2025 Annual General Meeting. Come and meet our team, learn about
Some of the residents and volunteers who have benefited from our programs or participated in our activities have shared their experiences with us
SEE ALL OF TESTIMONIALS"In 2015, I was in great need of support to care for my children. I had been ill and stayed at home with them for 6 years. I was looking for support and had visited seven different places without success...
Residents
My partner and I returned to Canada as students (at the University of Ottawa) with our young son and we live on rue Beausoleil. The Lower Town Community Resource Center was my first welcome space in the community.
New arrivals
I moved to Ottawa in March 2018 as a single mother of two, and expecting a third, while living in the Lowertown emergency shelter.
Resident
Imagine that you are raising four children aged 7 to 16 on your own and that you are forced to live in a small, two-bed motel room... and have been for ten months...
Our FAQ page answers frequently asked questions. It is designed to help you better understand our services, our programs and the steps to benefit from them, allowing you to obtain answers quickly.
Visit the page: frequently asked questionsOur programs and services are aimed primarily at residents of Ottawa's Lowertown. The territory we serve extends from the Ottawa River (north) to Rideau Street (south), and from the Rideau River (east) to the Rideau Canal (west).
For children, we offer, all free of charge, an after-school program, a youth drop-in, a summer camp, as well as a variety of sports, recreational and artistic activities, the distribution of back-to-school supplies and much more. We also offer a tax clinic, as well as support services for newcomers. We invite you to visit our Services & Programs page to learn more, or to contact us directly for specific information based on your needs.
Online registration is available here for youth activities. For all other activities and services, please contact us for registration details.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering! To find out more, please visit our Volunteering page, or contact our volunteer coordinator, Catherine Mageau, at the following address cmageau@crcbv.ca
Join us in contributing to the well-being of the neighbourhood
Your generous contribution will help us improve the quality of life of Lowertown residents.
Discover how to get involved through other community initiatives
40 Cobourg St., Ottawa, Ontario K1N8Z6
Monday to Friday
8:30AM – 4:30PM
Closed between noon and 1PM
Closed Saturday & Sunday
40 Cobourg St. Ottawa, Ontario K1N L8Z6
Tuesday: 1 PM – 5:45 PM
Wednesday: 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM, 1 PM – 3:45 PM
Thursday: 9:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Closed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
145 Beausoleil Dr. K1N 8W3
Tuesday: 9 AM – 12 PM, 1 PM – 4 PM
Wednesday: 9 AM – 12 PM, 1 PM – 4 PM
Friday: 9 AM – 12 PM, 1 PM – 4 PM
Thursday: 9 AM – 12 PM
Close Saturday and Sunday