Supports Available to Find Housing

There are supports available in your community to provide housing information, assistance to access housing, income supports and to enable eligible newcomers to access permanent housing. 

Through the Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) program, low-income customers can get direct support to pay bills to ensure that electricity and natural gas services are not disconnected. Maximum LEAP grant amounts are:

• $500 for electricity bills ($600 if your home is heated electrically)

• $500 for natural gas bills

Residential customers that have fallen behind on paying electricity or natural gas bills with Alectra Utilities, Elexicon Energy, Enbridge Gas, Hydro One Networks, InnPower, or Union Gas, should call 1-855-487-5327 to apply for a LEAP grant.

Basic rent-geared-to-income (RGI), or subsidized housing, is made available by the county within you live to make rent affordable for households. In most cases, RGI rent is 30% of a household’s monthly Adjusted Family Net Income (AFNI). The AFNI is determined annually using each household member’s Notice of Assessment (annual income tax return). If you receive social assistance, the rent is based on the rent benefit set by the Ontario government.

You may be eligible for RGI if:

• You are able to live independently with or without support services

• You are over 16 years old

• You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a refugee claimant, or you are applying to become a permanent resident

• You are not under a removal order to leave Canada

• You do not owe money to any social housing provider in Ontario, or you have an agreement to repay this money

• Your income and assets are within the allowable limits

• You have a source of income

Asset Limit

To be eligible for RGI, you cannot have assets of more than $100,000.

Income Limit

To be eligible for RGI, you cannot have income of more than:

• $27,000 for a bachelor unit

• $33,000 for a one-bedroom unit

• $39,500 for a two-bedroom unit

• $43,500 for a three-bedroom unit

• $59,500 for a four- or five-bedroom unit

Your income limit applies to the largest unit that you are allowed to move into, even if you move to a smaller unit.

Lanark County Housing Supports

The Homeownership Program offers one-time down payment assistance of up to 5% of the purchase price for eligible first-time homebuyers for renters in Lanark County with a household income less than $91,400.

Housing Assistance Program provides financial and non-financial assistance to eligible residents of Lanark County to get or keep affordable housing. You may be eligible to receive assistance (up to $1,000 per calendar year) with:

• Rent deposits

• Utility arrears

• Rent/mortgage arrears

• Property tax arrears

• Emergency minor home repairs (e.g. furnace/oil tank, plumbing, well/water system, roof, accessibility repairs/modifications)

• Transportation

• Hygiene kits

• Food cards

A Portable Housing Benefit (PHB) is a monthly benefit paid directly to eligible low-income households to bridge the gap between affordable rent (roughly 30% of income) and some or all of average market rent. The Lanark PHB is portable anywhere in Lanark County.

Renfrew County Housing Supports

Renfrew County Housing Corporation (RCHC) is a community housing provider in the County of Renfrew with over 1000 community housing units. The RCHC provides rent-geared-to-income (RGI) and affordable rental options to low-income households in the County of Renfrew. If you have low to moderate-income, they can help you find affordable housing in our community.

The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) program provides Renfrew County residents with another option to households eligible for rent-geared-to-income assistance. A COHB benefit is payable monthly to eligible households to assist with rental costs. The benefit is tied to the household and not to a physical housing unit, this allows the benefit to move with the household anywhere in Ontario. As a result, eligible households will have more flexibility to choose where they live. The amount received is determined using a calculation based on the applicant’s income, their rent and Average market rents for the area.

The Emergency Minor Home Repair Assistance Program is open to low-income homeowners who require minor home repairs that will allow for continued safe occupancy of their homes.

The Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) is a provincially-funded initiative delivered by the County of Renfrew to help residents with low income maintain housing stability.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Reside within Renfrew County

• Have net income lower than the HPP Income Level Cut-off chart

• Have liquid assets not exceeding $2,500

• Have not already received the maximum HPP benefit within the last 12 months

• Submit a completed HPP Application (printable version) and submit requested documents to verify identity, income, and expenses

• Meet criteria for eligible expenses