About housing subsidies

Peel residents cannot specifically apply for housing subsidies. To find out if you’re eligible for a housing subsidy or other housing support, you must complete the housing services screening tool.

A housing subsidy is a payment to help you with your rent. The payment can be paid to the landlord or to you directly, depending on the subsidy type. If you do not have an urgent housing need, a housing subsidy may be an option.

Waiting list

The Centralized Waiting List is our list of applicants who are waiting for access to housing in Peel for which tenants will pay rent of no more than 30% of their total household income.

The way the list is managed is determined by the Housing Services Act. The housing subsidies available for people on the Centralized Waiting List are the Housing Services Act subsidies.

Subsidies are administered based on application date. The Housing Services Act gives priority access, based on application date, to applicants who are experiencing, or at risk, of family violence, or human trafficking. Peel Region also gives local priority to applicants for medical reasons (less than 2 years to live).

You may have to wait a long time for a subsidy through the Centralized Waiting List, and we can only give rough estimates of wait times.

While you are waiting, you can apply for housing assistance in other regions outside of Peel without losing your spot. You can also look for affordable housing on your own. We will still contact you when a housing subsidy is available; assuming you are eligible.

If you are only on the Centralized Waiting List and would like to be considered for any other housing subsidy, complete the housing screening if you have not already done so.

Our needs based approach

Our needs based approach to delivering housing services involves defining the level of need through a prioritization process.

If you qualify for subsidies through this approach, you must actively participate in building your individual case plan, which aims to improve your housing situation and helps you become self-sufficient.

The types of subsidies available through the needs-based approach are:

Applicants on the Centralized Waiting List may be offered a needs-based subsidy.