Applying for Subsidized Housing

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

Anyone can apply for subsidized housing in York Region as long as they meet these basic eligibility requirements:

• At least one household member must be 16 years of age or older.
• All household members must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or have refugee claimant status.
• You must not owe any money to a former social housing provider.
• Household members cannot be under a deportation, departure or exclusion order to leave Canada.
• No household member has been convicted of an offence related to rent geared-to-income assistance.
• No household member has been convicted of an offence under the Housing Services Ace (HSA), the Social Housing Reform Act or the Criminal Code in relation to the receipt of rent-geared-to-income assistance.
• Annual household income from all sources must be less than $80,000.
• Total value of all assets owned by you and all members of your household who are over the age of 16 must be less than $75,000. Bank accounts, investments and real estate are examples of assets. Some assets, including Registered Retirement Savings Plans, Registered Education Savings Plans and Registered Disability Savings Plans are not counted toward the limit, but you must still declare them.
• You must be able to live independently, with or without supports.

You must provide proof of your legal right to be in Canada for yourself and everyone in your household. This may include, but is not limited to:

• A copy of your Canadian birth certificate, Canadian passport or Canadian citizenship card;
• Landed immigrant papers, permanent resident card (front and back); or
• Documents supporting your claim for refugee status.

Note: We do not accept your health card or driver's licence as proof of your status in Canada.

An individual is considered to be able to live independently if they are able to perform the essential activities of day-to-day living, or can do so with the aid of support services and demonstrates that those support services will be provided when they are required.

Yes, but once you are housed you must pursue income from one or more of the following sources:

• Ontario Works (OW)
• Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
• Spousal or child support
• Employment Insurance
• Guaranteed Annual Income (GAINS), Old Age Security (OAS) and/or Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
• Support or maintenance from a sponsor under the Immigration Act

Non-Profit Housing
Non-Profits are owned and operated by community-based, non-profit organizations. They are either self-managed or managed through a property management company.

Co-operative Housing
Co-operative Non-Profits are similar to other non-profit housing corporations, except each resident becomes a member and has a say in how the co-operative is operated.

Each member is expected to help in the day-to-day operations and the Board of Directors is established from members of the co-operative.

Housing York Inc.
York Region has its own housing company that owns and operates subsidized and market rent units under a variety of programs.

Rent Supplement
York Region has rent supplement agreements with various private landlords. Rent supplement tenants pay rent-geared-to-income in private rental apartments. York Region will pay the difference between the tenant’s subsidized rent and the market rent for the unit. We do not give out the addresses of these buildings as these agreements are with private landlords and the addresses can change.

Affordable Housing Program
These are buildings that have a different funding model. Rent assistance (subsidy) is available for some units in each of these buildings.

When you apply to the waiting list, you will apply to a municipality or municipalities. As you get closer to the top of the waiting list, Housing Access will contact you so you can pick specific building locations. You can request changes to your building selections at any time.

The number of bedrooms is determined by the occupancy standards that apply to your household size. Housing Access will confirm what size of unit you are eligible for.

Generally, occupancy standards follow a smallest/largest unit principle:

• The smallest unit a subsidized household is eligible to occupy has one bedroom for every two members of the household and an extra bedroom if there is an odd number of household members
• The largest unit a subsidized household is eligible to occupy has one bedroom for every member of the household with couples sharing
• A single person is eligible for a bachelor or one bedroom unit

An additional bedroom can be requested if:

• Couples cannot share a bedroom because of a disability or medical condition
• Additional space is needed to store medical equipment related to a disability or significant medical condition
• The member of the household has joint custody of a child

If you need an additional bedroom due to a medical disability, have your doctor complete a  Request for Additional Bedroom form and submit the form to Housing Access for review.

If you need an additional bedroom for a visiting child, you must submit a copy of your custody agreement, court order or statutory declaration, or a letter from Family and Children’s Services. Housing Access will review the information and determine if you are eligible for an additional bedroom.

Generally, subsidized rent is based on 30 per cent of your household’s total gross monthly income. Additional charges may apply depending on the building (e.g. parking).

There are also new buildings that have a different type of funding model where applicants are housed according to income bands where the rent is a pre-calculated base rent.

If you are receiving assistance from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, your rent is
based on a pre-determined rent scale.

Some housing providers have wheelchair accessible units. A detailed list of these units can be accessed from the Housing Locations website or at the Housing Access office. Your doctor must complete our Request for Modified Unit form. Once we receive the form, we will assess your eligibility for this type of unit.

If you are interested in getting a market rent unit, please contact the housing provider directly. See all housing providers and locations.

Special Priority Status is intended to help victims of abuse permanently separate from their abuser. Special Priority Status:

• Is only given to applicants whose safety is at risk because they live with someone who is abusing them
• Does not apply to applicants who want to separate from someone because a relationship is not working
• Provides approved households a higher placement ahead of others on the centralized wait list for subsidized housing

You may qualify for Special Priority Status if you are eligible for subsidized housing and you, or a member of your household (16 years old or older):

• Are currently living with someone abusing you or another person in your household or are a sponsored immigrant and your sponsor is abusing you or another household member
• You used to live with someone that was abusing you or another person in your household, and stopped living with them three months ago or less
• Plan to live permanently apart from the abuser
• You are a victim of human trafficking currently being trafficked, or you are a survivor of human trafficking and have exited trafficking within the last three months or less

To apply for Special Priority Status as a victim of domestic abuse you must complete the Request for Special Priority form and have a qualified professional complete the Verification of Abuse form. In addition, the professional must provide a letter describing the indicators of abuse applicable to your situation. You must also provide proof that you are or were living with the abusive individual or sponsored by the abusive individual.

As a victim of human trafficking:

• Complete the Request for Special Priority - Victims/Survivors of Human Trafficking form
• Have qualified professional complete the Verification of Abuse form
• The professional must provide a letter describing the circumstances that the applicant is being or has been trafficked.

These forms can be accessed at Subsidized Housing Resources or the Housing Access Unit office.

Please note that the Verification of Abuse form, Request for Special Priority form and the letter from the professional describing the applicant’s circumstances must all be original documents.  Photocopies or scanned copies are not acceptable.

There are no other priority categories in York Region. All applicants are listed on the waiting list by the date they applied for subsidized housing.

How do I know if my application has been received?

You will be notified in writing once your application is eligible. If your application is not complete, we will send your entire application back to you without placing you on the waiting list.

What is my Application Date?

Your application date is the date we receive a completed application form from you.

What are my responsibilities after I submit my application?

Applicants for social housing have a number of responsibilities:

• You must notify the Housing Access Unit of any changes to your information in order to maintain your eligibility status
• You must confirm your interest in remaining on the waiting list for housing. This confirmation must be done with the Housing Access Unit once a year

You must notify the Housing Access Unit if:

• Your address changes
• Your telephone number changes
• You want to live in locations other than those you chose on your application
• The number of people in your household changes
• The contact person on your application changes
• Your income changes
• Your immigration status changes

Changing Building Selections?

You can request change to your building selections at any time. You can refer to york.ca for a map indicating where social housing buildings are located.

How do I add or remove someone from my application?

You must complete a Request to Make Changes to Your Application form. The new adult family member must complete and submit the form called Adding a Member to an Application for Subsidized Housing to Housing Access. They will need to provide documents of their legal status in Canada for each family member added to your application and submit copies of their T1 General Income Tax Return and Notice of Assessment for the most recent tax year. Housing Access will determine their eligibility for the waiting list.

How do I apply for seniors housing?

Seniors buildings are for people who are 60 years of age or older. At least one member of your household must be 60 years of age or older in order to add seniors’ buildings to your application.

Note: Housing providers may turn down your household if all members are not over the age of 60.

The application process for seniors is the same as the regular waiting list for subsidized housing. The only difference is that you can add seniors buildings to your housing choices.

Many of these buildings have seniors’ support services on-site.

When will I be offered housing?

Households are considered for housing in order of their application date. The buildings you select are operated by many different housing providers. When a vacancy occurs, the housing provider will choose the next applicant on the waiting list provided by York Region’s Housing Access Unit. Housing Access does not offer units and is not aware of when vacancies occur.

How long will it take for me to be offered a unit?

Housing Access cannot provide you with your position on the waiting list and cannot estimate when you will receive an offer of housing. Waiting times vary depending on the location chosen, bedroom size, vacancy turnover and any specific requirements requested (e.g. parking, balcony).

How will I be contacted with an offer?

The housing provider that is offering you a unit will phone, email or mail you the offer details when your name is at the top of their waiting list. Make sure that the telephone number you have given Housing Access is a number where you can be reached during the day, or, give us the number of a contact person who can pass a message on to you. In addition, make sure you give Housing Access your email address. You need to call the housing provider back right away, or they will offer the unit to the next person on the waiting list.

If I am housed somewhere that is not my first choice,will I still be on the Waiting List for my other choices?

Once you accept an offer of housing, your file is closed with Housing Access and you will be taken off of all building wait lists.  If you want to move, you will have to begin the application process again with a new application date.

What if I still have questions?

To get more information about applying for subsidized housing call 1-877-464-9675.

All applicants will receive one offer of housing. Based on eligibility rules set by the Province of Ontario, if an applicant turns down an offer, their application will be removed from the wait list.