How to Apply for the Ontario Child Benefit
There is no separate Ontario Child Benefit application: applying for the Canada Child Benefit is the application, and the CRA assesses you for the Ontario benefit at the same time.
How to Apply for the Ontario Portable Housing Benefit
Ontario's portable housing benefit follows the household, not the unit, and is applied for through the local Service Manager. This guide walks that route.
Applies in: Ontario
The short answer
Ontario's portable housing benefit follows the household, not the unit — and you apply for it through your local Service Manager, not through a single provincial form. The program is the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB), a joint federal-provincial program under the National Housing Strategy. The monthly payment it makes is called the Portable Housing Benefit. Unlike rent-geared-to-income assistance, the COHB benefit is tied to the household and not to a physical housing unit, allowing it to move with the household to any Service Manager area in Ontario.
That portability is the whole point of the program: it gives a household on a social housing waiting list a way to rent in the private market, in the community it chooses, instead of waiting for a specific subsidized unit.
Who the benefit is for
COHB is for households in need who are on, or eligible to be on, a social housing waiting list, and for households in financial need living in community housing. Priority goes to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness, Indigenous persons, seniors, persons with disabilities, and households that will no longer receive housing assistance because a social housing operating agreement or a federal or provincial program is expiring.
The program grew out of the Portable Housing Benefit–Special Priority Policy pilot, which ran in 2019–20 for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Those households moved to COHB when it launched. A dedicated stream for survivors of gender-based violence continues inside COHB: from 2024–25 to 2028–29, Ontario is cost-matching an additional $97.4 million federal commitment for that stream, supporting 5,479 more households. In 2023–24, survivors assisted through COHB received an average monthly benefit of approximately $900.
This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify. Your Service Manager and the Ministry of Finance decide that.
How the benefit is worked out
There is no flat rate. Eligible households receive a monthly benefit calculated from the difference between the greater of 80% average market rent within the Service Manager area or the applicant's shelter costs (rent plus utilities), up to a maximum of 100% average market rent, and 30% of their adjusted family net income. The calculation also assumes a minimum contribution toward rent by the household. Because average market rent differs by area, two households with the same income can receive different amounts in different Service Manager areas.
How to apply: the Service Manager route
There is no provincial application portal and no form you file directly with the province. The route runs through your local Service Manager — the municipal or district body that runs social housing in your area. The steps are:
- Find your Service Manager. This is the city, region, county, or District Social Services Administration Board responsible for housing where you live. If you are unsure which one covers you, phone 211 and ask.
- Confirm your waitlist standing. Ask the Service Manager whether you are on, or eligible to be on, the social housing waiting list, or whether you count as a household in financial need living in community housing. The Service Manager confirms this when you apply.
- Complete the application with the Service Manager's help. Local municipal Service Managers assist households to complete COHB applications, which are sent to the Ontario Ministry of Finance to determine eligibility. Bring identification, proof of income such as your Notice of Assessment, and your rent and utility costs. Your Service Manager will tell you exactly which documents it needs.
- Wait for the Ministry of Finance decision. The Ministry of Finance determines eligibility and issues the monthly payment directly to the household.
- Ask about first and last month's rent. Eligible households may also receive first and last month's rent assistance directly from their Service Manager.
If you are approved, you must agree to be removed from the social housing waiting list. One exception applies: since the 2024–25 fiscal year, the Ministry has waived the removal requirement for Special Priority Policy applicants, including survivors of gender-based violence.
If you move
Because the benefit is tied to your household, it moves with you to any Service Manager area in Ontario. Tell your Service Manager when you move so the benefit follows you and the amount can be recalculated from the average market rent in the new area.
How long the program runs
The National Housing Strategy bilateral agreement that funds COHB expires on March 31, 2028. Ontario's own plan notes that without a long-term federal-provincial funding commitment beyond that date, it will be challenging to maintain the program and support the households enrolled in it. That is a funding horizon, not an application deadline: there is no published closing date for applications on the pages opened for this guide.
What the opened pages do not state
The Ontario pages opened for this guide describe the benefit design, the priority groups, and the Service Manager route, but they publish no province-wide income threshold and no fixed benefit amount, because the amount is calculated from local average market rent and household income. They also publish no processing time for applications and no annual renewal process, so this guide states neither. Your Service Manager can tell you the current local rules, including whether intake is open in your area.
Related guides:
- How to Apply for Rent-Geared-to-Income Housing in Ontario — Ontario's subsidized housing route, which runs through the same Service Managers and the same waiting list.
- How to Apply for ODSP in Ontario — the Ontario Disability Support Program, whose shelter rules treat the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit as exempt income.
- How to Apply for Ontario Works in Ontario — Ontario's social assistance program, for households that may also need housing help.
- How to Apply for the Ontario Trillium Benefit — Ontario's combined energy, property tax, and sales tax credit for low- and moderate-income households.
- How to Apply for the Guaranteed Annual Income System in Ontario — Ontario's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
- How to Apply for the Ontario Electricity Support Program — Ontario's monthly credit on electricity bills for low-income households.
Applying for Ontario's portable housing benefit, in five steps
- Find your local Service ManagerThe municipal or district Service Manager for the area where you live runs the local route into the benefit.
- Confirm your social housing waitlist standingYou must be on, or eligible to be on, a social housing waiting list, or living in community housing in financial need.
- The Service Manager helps complete the applicationThere is no single provincial form to file on your own. The Service Manager assists with the application.
- The Ministry of Finance decides eligibilityYour Service Manager sends the completed application to the Ontario Ministry of Finance.
- The benefit moves with youThe monthly benefit is tied to your household, not to one unit, so it follows you to any Service Manager area in Ontario.
Questions people ask
What is the Ontario Portable Housing Benefit?
It is the monthly payment under the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, known as COHB. The benefit is portable, which means it is tied to your household rather than to one housing unit, so it moves with you if you move to another address in Ontario.
Is there a single provincial application form for the portable housing benefit?
No. There is no single provincial form and no provincial application portal you file on your own. You apply through your local Service Manager, which helps you complete the application and sends it to the Ontario Ministry of Finance.
Who can receive the portable housing benefit?
Households in need who are on, or eligible to be on, a social housing waiting list, and households in financial need living in community housing. Priority goes to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, Indigenous persons, seniors, people with disabilities, and young adults leaving the child welfare system.
How is the benefit amount worked out?
The monthly benefit is the difference between the greater of 80 percent of the average market rent in your Service Manager area or your shelter costs, up to a maximum of 100 percent of average market rent, and 30 percent of your adjusted family net income. The calculation also assumes a minimum contribution toward rent by the household.
Can I receive the portable housing benefit and rent-geared-to-income housing at the same time?
No, not as a rule. The benefit is an alternative to rent-geared-to-income assistance for households on the social housing waiting list, and if you are approved you must agree to be removed from that waiting list. Survivors under the Special Priority Policy are exempt from the removal requirement.
Who pays the benefit, and does it help with first and last month's rent?
The Ontario Ministry of Finance determines eligibility and issues the monthly payment directly to the household. Your Service Manager may also provide first and last month's rent assistance directly.
Sources
- Government of Ontario, Provincially delivered NHS programs — Ontario's Third Action Plan under the National Housing Strategy (2025–2028) — the portable design, the waitlist gateway, the priority groups, the benefit calculation, the Service Manager application route, the Ministry of Finance decision, first and last month's rent assistance, the survivors stream figures, and the March 31, 2028 agreement horizon.
- Government of Ontario, Home and housing — Guide to programs and services for seniors — the plain-language summary: the benefit is portable, based on household income and average local rent, and applied for by contacting the local service manager.