Home Support Services provides help with light housekeeping to eligible low-income residents who have a medical need and who have little or no supports in the community. Light housekeeping may include floors, bathrooms, laundry, kitchen and light dusting.
Before you begin
Before you begin
Eligibility can only be determined after a home visit is completed where the services are to be provided.
Eligibility
Eligibility
To be eligible for the services, a person must:
- Have a documented medical reason that prevents you from doing homemaking tasks on your own
- Have little or no help with housekeeping tasks. For example, you live alone and have no family close by
- Are in receipt of social assistance or your assets and income are below the allowable amounts for your family size. Financial eligibility is based on maximum asset levels and low-income cut-offs (LICOs)
- Assets include cash, bank accounts, RRSPs, a second property, or anything you own that can be converted into cash
- Income includes earnings, pensions, employment insurance, child/spousal support, private insurance, or any other source of money coming in
- LICO is an income threshold set by the Government of Canada and changes yearly. Currently, the 2022 threshold is used to determine eligibility. To learn more about LICO visit, Statistics Canada low income cut-offs
To see if you might quality, use the Asset Table (step 1) and income table with Eligibility Estimator (step 2).
Step 1 - Asset Table
Are your family household assets less than the maximum allowable asset level?
Family household includes you, your spouse/common-law partner and dependant adults (18 years or older) and children (17 years or younger) living with you. For example, you have $500 in the bank and your spouse owns a car worth $1,500. Your family assets equal $2,000 which is below the maximum asset level. Using the table, identify your family household size and determine if your asset level is less than the maximum asset level shown.
Table 1 - Maximum asset levels based on family size
| Number of dependants | Applicant | Applicant & spouse/common-law partner |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $ 5,000 | $ 7,500 |
| 1 | $ 5,500 | $ 8,000 |
| 2 | $ 6,000 | $ 8,500 |
| 3 | $ 6,500 | $ 9,000 |
| 4 | $ 7,000 | $ 9,500 |
| 5 | $ 7,500 | $ 10,000 |
| 6 | $ 8,000 | $ 10,500 |
| 7 | $ 8,500 | $ 11,000 |
Step 2: Income Table and Income Eligibility Estimator (LICO)
Is your family household income less than the maximum allowable income level?
Table 2 Maximum income level
| Family size | Monthly net income | Annual net income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $2,028.90 | $24,346.80 |
| 2 person | $2,469.30 | $29,631.60 |
| 3 person | $3,074.85 | $36,898.20 |
| 4 person | $3,836.10 | $46,033.20 |
| 5 person | $4,368.15 | $52,417.80 |
| 6 person | $4,844.40 | $58,132.80 |
| 7 person or more | $5,320.65 | $63,847.80 |
LICO rates used by Employment and Social Services are based on population size for the City of Ottawa and net monthly or yearly amounts. Other programs, services or jurisdictions may use the LICO rates differently.
What you need
What you need
You will be asked basic personal and financial information for you and your family members:
- Date(s) of birth
- Documentation confirming you live in Ontario (and are not a visitor or a tourist)
- Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) number
- Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Housing costs (rent/mortgage, heat and other utilities)
- Income (any money you receive from a job, EI, WSIB etc.)
- Assets (anything you own such as a bank account, vehicle, RRSP, etc.)
Apply
Apply
Call 3-1-1 Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4 pm
- Language (1 for English, 2 for French)
- Select 4 for Community and Social Services
- TTY Line 1-800-855-0511
What’s next
What’s next
Eligibility will be assessed during a telephone interview and a home visit by a case worker.
Contact
Contact
For more information:
Call 3-1-1 Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4 pm
- Language (1 for English, 2 for French)
- Select 4 for Community and Social Services
- TTY Line 1-800-855-0511
Or email CommunitySupports@ottawa.ca.