Community Start-up and Maintenance Benefit
Ongoing Ontario Works clients may be eligible to receive additional money to establish themselves in the community in the following situations:
- Victims of family violence, including spousal, same sex partner, or child abuse
- Persons who are homeless
- Uninhabitable premises. Where the uninhabitable conditions are not clearly evident, the worker will seek verification from a third party, e.g. a building or health inspector, or physician
- A move out of the home where the need has been
clearly established, including the following:
- A disabled person moves because of the incapacity or death of the supporting, care-giving family member(s)
- Overcrowded conditions within the premises
- Children and sole support parents who have a documented need to relocate
- Persons faced with eviction from their premises
- Persons who need to move due to employment or training opportunities
- Persons who wish to move to more affordable accommodation, closer to or within current shelter ranges, due to hardship arising from extreme shelter costs.
- Persons being discharged from the following institutions:
- Correctional facility
- Hospital
- Hostel
- Nursing Home
- Special Care Home
- Interval and Transition Home
Examples of allowable costs of establishing residence in the community include the following:
- Clothing
- Fuel and hydro deposits
- Household furnishings
- Last months rent deposit
- Moving and transportation to the home
The maximum amount of Community Startup and Maintenance Benefit for a 24 month period is:
- $1500 for participants with dependent children under 18 years of age
- $799 for all other participants
The approved amount is based on verifiable costs, which are necessary to establish a permanent residence in the community.