APPLICATION GUIDELINES

WHAT IS SUBSIDIZED HOUSING?

Subsidized housing is for eligible households who do not have enough income and/or assets to pay market rent.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR SUBSIDIZED HOUSING

You can apply for subsidized housing if:

  • You are at least 16 years old
  • All members of the household are legal residents of Canada (i.e. Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or have Refugee Claimant status)
  • No member of the household owes money to any social housing provider in Ontario. In some areas, if you owe money and are actively adhering to an approved repayment plan you may be eligible for subsidized housing)
  • No member of the household is currently under a deportation, departure or exclusion order to leave Canada
  • No member of the household has been convicted of an offence within the past two years under the Housing Services Act (HSA), the Social Housing Reform Act or the Criminal Code in relation to the receipt of rent-geared-to-income assistance
  • You must be able to live independently, with or without supports

You will be required to provide documentation clearly indicating your legal right to live in Canada if you have not already done this.

Some service manager areas may have income and asset limit policies that will affect eligibility for the waiting list. You may be required to submit income verification documents i.e. Notice of Assessment.

APPLYING FOR MARKET RENT HOUSING

Many housing providers have units that are available at the market rate (similar to what you would pay a private sector landlord). If you are interested in applying for a market rent unit, you will need to contact the housing provider directly. You can call the centralized waiting list administrator to get the housing provider’s contact information.

WHEN THE CENTRALIZED WAITING LIST ADMINISTRATOR RECEIVES YOUR APPLICATION

When the centralized waiting list administrator(s) receive your application, they will make sure that it is complete and that all the documents you must provide are included. If your application is not complete, the centralized waiting list administrator will let you know what information is needed.

You will get a letter from the centralized waiting list administrator telling you:

  • Whether or not you are eligible for subsidized housing
  • If you are eligible, you will be informed of:
    • Your application date
    • What category of the waiting list you are on (Special Priority or chronological)
    • How many bedrooms your household qualifies for
    • Whether or not you are eligible for a wheelchair accessible unit
  • You will be able to see the status of your requests for housing locations you have requested by logging in to your account and reviewing your Application Status.
    • If you are Eligible, you are on the waiting list only for buildings where the status is approved.

If you disagree with any of these decisions, you may request a review of the decision. See section on the decision review process.

KEEPING YOUR APPLICATION CURRENT

If there is a change in any of the information that you provide, you must notify the waiting list administrator of the change in order to maintain your eligibility status. You will be notified if additional documents or information are required.

YOUR RIGHT TO APPEAL A DECISION BY A CENTRALIZED WAITING LIST ADMINISTRATOR OR HOUSING PROVIDER

If a centralized waiting list administrator decides that you are not eligible for subsidized housing, you will be told in writing. If you do not agree with the decision, you can request a review of that decision. Your appeal will be reviewed and you will get a letter telling you about the results of your appeal.

YOUR RIGHT TO PRIVACY

If you have any questions about the collection and use of personal information, please contact the centralized waiting list administrator(s) you have applied to.

Personal information contained on this form or in attachments is collected under the Housing Services Act, 2011, and subject to Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990. The information will be used to review and confirm details of the review request, eligibility for subsidized housing, statistical reporting and evaluation. The information provided may be cross-referenced with other municipal data pertaining to the household.