Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit

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The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) provides assistance directly to low-income households with the cost of paying rent.

The COHB benefit:

Allows you to receive a housing benefit that allows you to choose where you live.
Can follow you to a new unit if you move (within Ontario).
- It can help make your current rental housing more affordable.
- The amount payable to you is based on 80% of Average Market Rent for the area, and your monthly Adjusted Family Net Income multiplied by 30 percent.
- Is reassessed annually using your income tax information.

To determine if the COHB is right for you, see the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit Program Information below.

To apply for the COHB, complete the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit Application.

Program Information

Program Eligibility

Applicants for the COHB must:

Be a renter household in Leeds Grenville.
Not currently be receiving rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance, or any other government-funded housing benefit, such as a Housing Allowance benefit. Shelter payments received from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program are allowed.
Be removed from the social housing waiting list once your COHB benefit is approved.
Be eligible for rent-geared-to-income assistance, which means:
- Each member of your household meets at least one of the following three criteria:
  - is a Canadian citizen, or
  - has made application for status as a permanent resident under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), or
  - has made a claim for refugee protection under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), and no removal order has become enforceable against any member of the household under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).
- No member of household owes arrears to a social housing provider in Ontario.
- No member of the household has been convicted of misrepresenting their income for the purposes of receiving RGI assistance under the Housing Services Act, or a crime under the Criminal Code (Canada) within the last two years.
- Gross household income does not exceed the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Household Income Limits.

Applicants for the COHB will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis, until program funding is exhausted.

Reporting In-Year Changes

You must report any changes in personal information as soon as possible to the ServiceOntario Information Centre at 1-888-544-5101.

You must report the following changes:

You move.
You start or stop receiving Ontario Works or ODSP benefits.
You are in receipt of Ontario Works or ODSP benefits and your shelter costs change.
Your income decreases by 20% or more.
You have a permanent change in household composition (e.g. someone moves out of your home).

You do not need to report an increase in income during the year.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) will reassess your benefit for the changes noted above in “Reporting In-year Changes”. Note that your benefit may only be reassessed once in a year for a decrease of at least 20% in your income.

You also will have your benefit reassessed if you or the Service Manager report to ServiceOntario that you are no longer eligible for the COHB benefit. This may happen if you are receiving rent-geared-to-income assistance or another government-funded housing benefit.

Annual COHB Renewal

To continue to be eligible for the COHB benefit, you must submit a federal income tax return to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) by April 30^th each year for the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to re-calculate your monthly benefit.

Households receiving monthly benefits must complete an annual renewal form each Spring to confirm their ongoing eligibility, and to update the MOF of any changes. To continue to be eligible for the program each year, you must:

Reside in Ontario.
Be a renter household.
Not be in receipt of RGI assistance, more than one COHB benefit (only one member in each household may receive the benefit), or any other government-funded housing benefit, such as a Housing Allowance. Shelter payments from Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program are allowed.

If you do not complete and return your annual renewal form by the renewal deadline, it may result in your household no longer being eligible for the COHB Program.

Households who do not qualify to receive a COHB payment, will no longer be eligible under the program after 24 months of not receiving payments.

Payments

You will be paid by direct deposit near the end of each month. Alternately, you may choose to have the funds deposited directly to a landlord by submitting a Schedule 6 (Landlord Consent to Receive Payment). Payments will only be made by direct deposit, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

You also may be eligible for first and last months’ rent, which will be paid directly to the Landlord. Eligibility is determined by the Housing Department.

Overview of Rent-Geared-To-Income (RGI) Assistance

When your rent is geared to income you pay approximately 30% of net household income plus a utility charge (if utilities are included), or minus a utility allowance (if you are responsible to pay for utilities).

Overview of COHB Benefit Calculation

The COHB benefit amount paid to you is based on the difference between 80 per cent of Average Market Rent (AMR) as determined by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and 30 percent of the Adjusted Family Net Income (AFNI), divided by 12 for an appropriately sized unit, based on household composition.

You can live in a unit that is smaller or larger than the allowable unit size in Leeds Grenville’s Occupancy Standards, but your COHB benefit will only be calculated according to your “eligible unit size”.

Deciding if RGI Assistance or the COHB is Best For Your Household Situation

The following chart outlines some key differences between receiving RGI assistance and COHB assistance. An estimate of RGI payable versus a COHB Benefit based on income information will be provided if you wish to apply for the COHB. Generally, your most recent Notice of Assessment for all household members 17 years or older and not in full-time attendance at school will be used for these calculations.

Rent-Geared-to-Income and COHB Benefit Comparison
Rent-Geared-to-Income	COHB Benefit
You can wait on the social housing waiting list until a unit you selected becomes available.	You name will be removed from social housing waiting list once approved for the COHB benefit.
RGI is only available in specific social housing units in specific communities. Eligible unit size is determined by local Occupancy Standards.	You can live in any unit size, and in any community in Ontario that you choose.
RGI payable is approximately 30% of net household income.	The COHB benefit is based on 80% of the Average Market Rent for the area, less 30% of Adjusted Family Net Income. The amount of rent payable will be the market rent is set by the landlord.
You must report certain changes; one in-year reassessment may be completed if your income decreases by 20% or more.	You must report certain changes; one in-year reassessment may be completed if income significantly decreases by 20% or more.
Annual reviews are conducted by the housing provider. You must file your Notice of Assessment with the Canada Revenue Agency by April 30th of each year) for continued eligibility.	Annual reviews are conducted by the MOF. You must file your Notice of Assessment with the Canada Revenue Agency by April 30th of each year) for continued eligibility.
Pay first month’s rent only at the time of move-in.	Pay first month’s rent, and you may be required to pay a deposit for last month’s rent if the landlord requests it.
RGI subsidy (the difference between market rent and RGI payable) is not considered income on your tax assessment; the amount rent you paid in the tax year can be claimed as an Ontario tax credit.	A T5007 will be issued for any COHB benefits and/or first and last month’s rent payments received; these benefits are considered as income for tax purposes.

Effect of the COHB Benefit on Social Assistance Benefits

When you receive Ontario Works (OW) or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits, you receive a shelter allowance as a portion of your assistance. The shelter allowance is based on your actual shelter costs, up to a maximum amount according to your household size. If your shelter costs are higher than the maximum shelter amount paid by OW or ODSP, you will receive the maximum COHB shelter amount.

You will continue to receive your shelter allowance as you normally would from OW or ODSP, and the COHB benefit will fill the gap between your OW/ODSP and actual shelter costs (up the maximum COHB shelter amount).

NOTE: If you are in receipt OW and ODSP benefits and the COHB benefit, you must contact the ServiceOntario Information Centre at 1-888-544-5101 to report any changes (increases or decreases) in your shelter costs so that your COHB benefit can be adjusted.

Notice of COHB Benefit Amount Less Than $10

The minimum COHB benefit that will be paid is $10 per month. If your eligible COHB benefit is calculated at less than $10 per month, you will not be eligible to receive a payment. If your eligible payment remains at less than $10 per month, after 24 consecutive months of receiving a nil benefit payment you will be determined ineligible for the program.

You should report to Service Ontario if your situation changes (see Reporting In-Year Changes section) so that your COHB benefit can be recalculated. Report changes directly to the ServiceOntario Information Centre at 1-888-544-5101.