Help with housing

How to access housing services.

If you are homeless, at risk of losing your housing, or need affordable housing, there are services to help.

If you're homeless

Drop-in, stay-the-night and homeless support programs
Street Helpline 1-877-848-8481
Peel shelters for individuals and families
Outreach services
211 community services
Peel community services directory

If you're at risk of being homeless or need housing support

Housing subsidy
Help with utility or rent
Affordable housing options
Affordable housing list for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

Find community housing outside of Peel region

Smaller municipalities that are more likely to have a shorter waiting list.

Access an interactive map of cooperative housing locations. Wait times vary.

If you’re searching for market rental housing

Summarized list of apartment postings within the GTA. These are typically gathered from multiple advertising sites.

Newspaper classified sites.

Apartment listing websites:

You do not need to pay to apply for housing

There is no cost 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.

Housing screening tool

Housing Services has developed an online housing screening request tool to help us better support you. We ask all applicants to review our email consent and complete the housing screening request so we can appropriately direct your request.

Wait times

Some applications for housing services may take between 8 to 12 weeks to review. Not all applications will take this long to review, as we are prioritizing urgent cases.

Do not contact us to follow up on your case unless there is a significant or urgent change in your circumstances.

Do not complete another screening as it may further impact response times.

When submitting your request

Only complete the screening tool once for your entire household. Duplicate applications will make your wait longer.

If you are currently receiving Ontario Works or have a pending Ontario Works application, you must call your Ontario Works caseworker for financial support. Your Ontario Works caseworker can assist with items such as overdue bills and last month’s rent etc. Do not proceed with the screening tool.

If you need ongoing help paying for food, clothing, and other essentials, do not proceed with the screening tool. Refer to financial help and Ontario Works for details.

If you only want to be placed on the centralized waitlist (Community Housing HSA), review your eligibility before starting the screening. Once your request has been actioned, you will receive a confirmation letter.

While you cannot specifically apply for a housing subsidy, you must complete the screening tool to see if you’re eligible.

If you are working with a Housing Support Worker or Housing Representative, you can contact them directly. Do not proceed with the screening.

Use the screening tool during regular business hours only: Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Start screening

If you have unique circumstances which prevent you from completing the housing screening request online, call 905-453-1300 and a member of our team will be in touch.