Effective March 12, you will not be able to submit an online application or update an existing application. The City will be launching a new online application portal called MyAccesstoHousingTO this summer. The City will be contacting applicants with information on how to register for the portal once it is available. Housing offers based on your position on the waiting list are continuing to be made.
Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) or subsidized housing is a housing subsidy or benefit offered by the City of Toronto to make rent affordable for households. In most cases, the rent at a subsidized unit is set to be 30 per cent of a household’s total monthly income before taxes and adjustments. If you receive social assistance the rent is based on the rent benefit set by the Ontario government.
Currently the number of people needing subsidized housing is greater than the number of units available. As a result, it can take years for an applicant to get housed. We encourage applicants to consider subsidized housing as a long-term housing plan, not an immediate solution to housing needs or emergency situations.
Access to Housing manages the waiting list for subsidized housing. Once an applicant reaches the top of the wait list and housing becomes available, housing providers (e.g. Toronto Community Housing Corporation) will contact the applicant.
This summer, the City will be launching a new online application portal called MyAccesstoHousingTO. Access to Housing will be contacting all applicants on the Centralized Waiting List with instructions on how to register for the new portal once it is available. If you have an eligible application on the waiting list at that time, your position on the list will not change.
As part of the City’s COVID-19 response, the Access to Housing (formerly Housing Connections) Resource Centre at 176 Elm St. is closed. Clients are encouraged to submit applications by fax or by mail. Stay up-to-date on all affected City services and when they may resume by visiting toronto.ca/covid19.
This summer, the City will be launching a new online application portal called MyAccesstoHousingTO. The portal will provide households applying to the Centralized Waiting List with a convenient and secure way to interact with Access to Housing. It will allow households to view and update their application using their smartphone, tablet or personal computer.
Starting this fall, applicants will also be able to see information (photos, move-in dates, accessibility features and more) about available units and express interest on units that meet their needs.
All applicants currently on the Centralized Waiting List will receive a letter with a unique applicant code to login to MyAccesstoHousingTO. Letters will be mailed in phases, starting with the top ranked applicants on the Centralized Waiting List. The City will post a schedule of mail delivery dates by applicant group following the launch of MyAccesstoHousingTO.
Once available, applicants will be able to:
Once your application is processed as eligible you will be placed on the Centralized Waiting List, managed by Access to Housing.
Applications are chronologically added to the Centralized Waiting List by their date of application (when a complete application and all supporting documents are received). Clients are served on a first-come, first-served basis, and applicants with the older application dates receive an offer of housing first.
Toronto Community Housing Corporation, private non-profit providers and provincially funded co-ops use the Centralized Waiting list to house applicants. Each of these providers has a list of clients waiting for housing according to the ranking on the Centralized Waiting List.
There is currently a long waiting list for applicants with a chronological ranking. An applicant can expect to wait:
Wait times may vary depending on a number of factors including how many building choices an applicant selects and the location of the buildings.
There are a few groups of applicants who receive priority housing ahead of others because of their unique circumstances. These groups of clients, in order of priority ranking, include:
There are also local priority access rules benefiting the following clients:
There are accessibility and special needs accommodations available for clients of subsidized housing. Applicants may request accessible buildings (e.g., with ramps, automatic doors and doorways) if they are unable to climb stairs or use mobility devices.
Modified units are reserved for applicants who are physically disabled and in a wheelchair on a full-time basis. Modifications may vary by unit and can include features such as grab bars, lowered countertops, and wider doorframes.
For clients who require overnight care from a caregiver or in some cases require space for medical equipment, there is the option of applying for an additional bedroom.
Mandate housing providers have special requirements for people who live in their buildings, called “mandates.” For example, some mandates require that tenants be seniors, artists or member of a specific cultural community.
In April 2020, the City of Toronto and Toronto Community Housing launched the Rapid Rehousing Initiative to identify vacancies to be made available immediately to people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. This program is available to people who are experiencing chronic homelessness who are on the centralized waiting list and are staying in an emergency overnight space or living outdoors and working with Streets to Homes. Learn more about the Rapid Rehousing Initiative.
Anyone may apply for Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) housing as long as they meet the following criteria:
The City will be launching an online application portal called MyAccesstoHousingTO this summer. When it launches, new applicants will be required to provide documentation that shows they have filed an income tax return for the current taxation year. See more under “How to Apply”.
Please note that the City of Toronto will check the household members’ names to make sure they do not owe money to housing providers and/or have a conviction related to RGI housing.
If you own a residential property, you must sell the property, or your share in it, within six months of moving into subsidized housing. If you fail to do so, you may not receive an offer of housing, or lose your subsidy.
If you do not have income, should you receive a housing offer, you would be required to seek income such as Ontario Works.
To apply for Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) housing you must complete the RGI Housing Application in full and provide the following for all household members:
Examples of acceptable documents to prove status in Canada include:
View a full list of proof of Canadian status documents.
When you apply, please attach proof of status in Canada for yourself and all the household members you are adding to your RGI application.
Applicants can currently apply in person or by mail. Processing time for paper applications is up to 120 days.
The ability to submit online applications is currently paused and will resume when the City launches its online application portal, MyAccesstoHousingTO, this summer.
When MyAccesstoHousingTO launches, new applicants to the Centralized Waiting List will be required to:
All applicant household members who are 16 years of age and older, except full time students, will be required to submit a Notice of Assessment.
During application, applicants can express interest in the City’s Commercial Rent Supplement program, which provides an RGI subsidy to eligible households mostly in private market rental buildings.
Learn more about the program, including how it works.
Effective March 12, you will not be able to submit an online application or make updates to an existing application. A new online application portal called MyAccesstoHousingTO will be available this summer. A link to the portal will be posted when it goes live.
Staff at Housing Help Centres can help you with your application in person. Please see the “Need Help?” section for details.
Due to COVID-19, the Housing Resource Centre at 176 Elm Street remains closed to the public at this time.
Send your completed RGI paper application form and supporting documentation to:
Access to Housing
176 Elm Street
Toronto, ON
M5T 3M4
If you are a survivor of domestic abuse or human trafficking you can apply for the Special Priority Program.
If you are a terminally ill patient with less than two years to live, you may be eligible for priority access to subsidized housing. Your physician must verify your medical condition and life expectancy.
To request a modified unit, or an additional bedroom for an overnight caregiver or storing eligible medical equipment, you and your physician must complete a separate form.
Caregivers or home care agencies may need to submit additional forms.
To apply for mandate housing, in addition to completing an RGI application, you and the housing provider, who is providing the mandate, must fill out and submit a mandate form. The provider must sign and submit the mandate form on your behalf to Access to Housing.
Confirmation of Eligibility for Mandate
View a list of mandate housing providers.
The application process for seniors’ housing is the same as applying for RGI subsidy. Access to Housing will assess eligibility for seniors’ housing once you submit your RGI application. When you turn 59 years old you can add seniors’ buildings to your housing choices. Many of the seniors’ buildings have seniors’ support services on-site.
Once your complete application is processed and you are added to the Centralized Waiting List, please take note of the following steps and information.
Learn about the subsidized housing options in Toronto by viewing housing listings in the areas you would like to live, and select your buildings of choice.
View Subsidized Housing Listings
In order to maintain your eligibility you must confirm your interest in remaining on the Centralized Waiting List for housing every 18 months.
You must also notify Access to Housing of any changes to your information, including:
Please note: The ability to submit updates to your application is currently paused and will resume when the City launches its online application portal, MyAccesstoHousingTO, this summer.
When MyAccesstoHousingTO launches, all applicant household members who are 16 years of age and older, except full-time students, will be required to submit the most recent Notice of Assessment at their annual review date (i.e. the anniversary of their application date).
If you wish for the City of Toronto to communicate with someone other than yourself about the details of your application you must first provide written authorization.
In compliance with the Housing Services Act, 2011, and its regulations, Access to Housing will be moving to a single offer rule. This means that, with the launch of the Choice-Based Access Model this fall, you will receive only one offer of suitable RGI housing. If you refuse this offer, you will be removed from the Centralized Waiting List. You are eligible to apply again, however, you will receive a new application date and will start at the bottom of the Centralized Waiting List.
If you are living in a subsidized/RGI unit, you must inform your housing provider about changes to your situation that might affect your subsidy. These include:
Tenants of subsidized housing must complete an Annual Review of income and assets to keep their housing subsidy. For more information on requirements for maintaining a subsidy, see Chapter 3 of the RGI Administration Manual.
Once housed, if a household stops meeting RGI program requirements, they could lose their RGI assistance. If you receive a Notice of Decision, Loss of Eligibility for RGI Assistance, contact your housing provider right away. You may be able to resolve the issue before the effective date (the day your rent will change to market rent). If and once resolved, your housing provider will send you a notice that your RGI assistance has been restored.
When you get a Notice of Decision, Loss of Eligibility for RGI Assistance, you can request a review of the decision. If you live in a non-profit or co-operative and have not been able to work things out with your housing provider, send this form to the City within 30 calendar days. Your housing provider must include the Request for Review Form with their notice.
If you need emergency shelter, please call the Central Intake at 416-338-4766. A local Housing Help Centre can help you access other housing options, find and keep housing, and avoid eviction.
Need help with understanding your subsidized housing options or completing your application? There are three ways you can get support:
Visit a Housing Help Centre near you to help you in:
The Access to Housing Resource Centre at 176 Elm Street remains closed to the public at this time.
Call the Access to Housing Resource Centre at 416-338-8888.
To identify a personalized list of City of Toronto services and benefits you may be eligible for please complete the brief survey in the Services and Benefits Finder Tool.
Find a free tax clinic in your area for support in getting your Notice of Assessment.
Access free WiFi or a computer at a Toronto Public Library location near you.
Applicants who are experiencing difficulty with their landlord or current housing may wish to contact the Tenant’s Hotline: 416-921-9494 hotline@torontotenants.org
Access to Housing does not manage internal transfers within RGI buildings. Existing RGI tenants looking to move to a different unit within the same building should contact their Housing Provider.
You can provide us with your feedback about housing and homelessness services directly delivered or funded by the City.