Applying for housing subsidy
A housing subsidy is a payment to help you with your rent. The payment can be paid to the landlord or to you directly, depending on the subsidy type. If you do not have an urgent housing need, a housing subsidy may be an option.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a housing subsidy you must first meet the criteria:
- At least one member of the household is 16 years or older.
- At least one member of the household can live independently, with or without support services.
- Household income does not exceed the allowable limits as per the Housing Income Limits.
- Total household asset limits are within the asset limits.
- You do not owe money to a housing provider without a repayment plan.
- No member of the household has a conviction related to RGI housing.
Each member of the household must have status in Canada. Acceptable status documents include:
- Canadian citizen card
- Permanent resident card
- Proof of application for Canadian permanent resident status.
- Proof of status as a refugee claimant or convention refugee.
What you need to apply
- Returning clients need their unique ID (client ID).
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Contact phone number
- Current address
- Email address
Peel Region no longer accepts paper applications for housing subsidy.
Peel residents cannot directly apply for a housing subsidy. We will first need to determine if you are eligible for housing support, including subsidy. To ensure we get you the right housing support, you must complete a screening.
Once submitted, if you have consented to be contacted by email, an intake form will be sent to the email address indicated on the housing screening. Compete the entire intake form.
If you do not consent to being contacted by email, a housing services staff member will be in contact with you to complete an intake form.
Some applications for housing services may take up to 8 weeks to review. Not all applications will take this long to review, as we are prioritizing urgent cases.
Completing the intake form
- The intake form should only be completed once.
- You will not be able to exit and resume from where you left off in the form. It must be completed in one session.
- Ensure you have all the necessary information regarding all members of your household before starting the form, (date of birth, status in Canada, income and assets).
- The form must be completed 14 days from the date the screening was completed. If the form is not submitted in time, it will be withdrawn, and you will be required to complete a new screening if you still require service.
Once the completed intake form is received, it will be placed in priority sequence and Housing Services will contact you as soon as possible. If you experience any difficulties completing the intake form, or you have an urgent housing need, contact us at 905-453-1300.
Learn about the different types of housing subsidies.
Wait list
The way the list is managed is determined by the Housing Services Act. The housing subsidies available for people on the centralized wait list are the Housing Services Act subsidies.
Due to high demand, there are significant wait times for applicants to receive subsidized housing. Learn more about wait times.
If you are only on the centralized wait list and would like to be considered for any other housing support, complete the housing screening if you have not already done so.
You cannot pay to receive housing from the centralized wait list
There is no cost to maintaining your place on the housing centralized wait list. You also do not need to pay when applying for housing support or submitting documents to Peel Region.
No one, including Peel Region staff or someone working for a community agency should ask you for money to apply for housing, or to receive an offer of housing. This is fraud and is illegal. Do not give cash, e-payments, or your credit card information when seeking housing support.
If you suspect fraud, contact Peel Region staff or the police. Reporting will not affect your application status or ability to receive housing support.
While you are waiting, you can apply for housing assistance in other regions outside of Peel without losing your spot. You can also look for affordable housing on your own. If eligible for a housing subsidy, we will still contact you when one becomes available.
If you accept a housing offer from another municipality before Peel Region can offer you one, ensure you update your housing information with the us.
The Housing Services Act gives priority to applicants who are experiencing, or at risk, of family violence, or human trafficking. We refer to these as additional considerations.
To be eligible for an additional consideration you must first complete the required documentation. Once you complete and submit all required documentation, it will be reviewed by a staff member who will contact you.
Due to high demand there’s still a significant wait time for applicants approved for additional considerations, although your wait time may be reduced if your additional considerations are approved. Peel Region also gives local priority to applicants for medical reasons (less than 2 years to live or organ transplant).
If you are not currently on the centralized wait list, do not send in these forms. Complete our online screening request for housing help. Once you complete the screening and receive your confirmation letter, we will contact you with next steps on how to submit the documents.
If you are currently on our centralized wait list and have a change in your circumstances, call us at 905-453-1300, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to discuss your change.
We’ll advise you if one of these forms needs to be completed and sent to us.
The number of bedrooms you would be eligible for is determined by the household composition.
- 2 people who are spouses of each other are eligible for a one bedroom.
- 2 people who are not spouses of one another (parent and child, brother and sister) are eligible for a 2 bedroom.
- 4 people that make up 2 separate spousal relationships are eligible for a 2 bedroom.
- 2 people who are spouses of each other and one dependent child are eligible for a 2 bedroom.
- Any of the listed scenarios plus one or more additional household members would be eligible for the number of bedrooms as per above plus one bedroom for each additional member.
You will only receive one offer for housing.
It’s important to ensure you selected buildings that you want to live in. Once an offer is made to the household you must accept it.
Refusing an offer of housing will result in the household being removed from the centralized wait list.