According to Statistics Canada, in 2016 there were 1.9 million low-income individuals in Ontario. Low-income individuals are defined as living in a household that takes home less than half of the median after-tax income of households of its size. When low-income Ontarians have to pay market rate rents for their housing, they are often left with insufficient funds for essentials such as food. Some low-income households end up living in housing inadequate for their family’s needs or in shelters.

Housing is considered affordable when shelter costs are no more than 30% of a household’s total income before taxes. In response to this reality, a variety of government programs have been developed over many years aimed at helping low-income Ontarians attain housing within their means. These government programs form a complex and often-confusing patchwork approach to housing needs