Housing Allowances

The Housing Allowance Program provides a monthly flat-rate subsidy that helps bridge the affordability gap for households living with low-incomes in private market rental housing.

• The benefit provides up to eight years of affordability for eligible households
• Because housing allowances are time limited, efforts are made to connect households to longer term programs such as Rent Geared to Income (RGI) assistance or the Canada Ontario Housing Benefit.

Current Target Groups

This benefit is not available to the general public.

The Housing Allowance benefit is reserved for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Applications are identified by Intensive Case Management teams among residents currently experiencing homelessness.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following criteria to receive a Housing Allowance:

• Their total household income must be at or below the Household Income Limits, as determined by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
• Have and maintain an active application on the Access to Housing social housing waitlist.
• Reside in Hamilton.
• Be a Canadian citizen or have legal status in Canada.
• Have an annual income tax return with the Canada Revenue Agency.
• Not be in receipt of RGI or other housing subsidy benefits.
• Must be in, or willing to enter, a repayment agreement if owing money to a social housing provider.
• Participants must undergo an annual review to determine continued eligibility. 

Program Guidelines

• Housing Allowances are provided until an offer of RGI assistance is made or the applicant is removed from the ATH waitlist.
• Participants of the program will be active on the Access to Housing waitlist with the goal of finding long-term affordable, permanent housing.
• The unit rent must not exceed 125% of Average Market Rent. (Average Market Rent data provided by Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation)
• The housing allowance will be paid directly to the landlord.
• Allowances have been designed with the intention that there will be no impact to social assistance benefits (Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program).
• Funding is based on household size. The unit must not exceed the maximum occupancy standard for that household size: