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Are you facing homelessness? Do you
have an emergency? Resources in Hastings County that can help are
listed here.
Go to TIP SHEETS
Go to TENANT
NEWS
Alphabetical Index:
Advocacy Centre for Tenants (ACTO)
Affordable Housing Action Network (AHAN)
Centre for Equality Rights in
Accommodation (CERA)
CMHC - Tenant's Guide to Mold
Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
(Tenant Pamphlets)
Energy - Tip Sheets on
Energy Redistributors
Government Information Centre
Hastings County - Housing
Programs Branch
Hastings Housing Resource Centre
Home Repair Assistance from CMHC
(for owners)
Human Rights Code Regulations
Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB)
The Law (Residential Tenancies Act)
The Law - RTA Regulations
Low Income Energy Network (LIEN)
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
and Housing
Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association
Prince Edward - Lennox &
Addington Social Services Social Housing Dept.
Rent Bank
Rent Subsidy Programs
The Law
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 - (RTA) Provincial legislation
(effective Jan 31, 2007)
RTA Regulations
GENERAL - Ontario Reg. 516/06
MAINTENANCE STANDARDS - Ontario Reg. 517/06
Human Rights Code Regulation (Regarding
Selecting Prospective Tenants)
BUSINESS PRACTICES PERMISSIBLE TO LANDLORDS IN SELECTING PROSPECTIVE
TENANTS FOR RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION - Ontario Reg. 290/98
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Agencies - Hastings County
Hastings
Housing Resource Centre
The Hastings Housing
Resource Centre provides assistance locating and securing
immediate temporary and permanent housing. They provide listings
of available housing, information and support to tenants. Landlords can
list units for free.
Hastings County
- Housing Programs Branch
On this website page you view policies and
directives, housing FAQ's, and community
action plans on homelessness and affordable housing (under "Related
Links") for Central Hastings, Deseronto, North Hastings and Quinte West.
You can also download a
social housing
application form as well as a
Public Information Package on Housing (15 pgs, revised April 2007) containing lots of information about
rent-geared-to-income housing and special needs housing in Hastings
County. This document contains the names of all housing providers
as well as:
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how to apply for
rent-geared-to-income housing
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who is eligible
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rules about waiting lists and
priority status on the waiting list (for domestic
abuse victims)
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occupancy standards (how many
bedrooms your family qualifies for)
-
types of housing decisions that
can be appealed and how to appeal
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how to apply for special needs
housing and eligibility criteria
The Housing Programs branch
is located at 15 Victoria Avenue, 2nd Floor,
Belleville, Ontario, K8N 1Z5 (corner of Victoria and Pinnacle).
Phone numbers: 613-968-3465 or 1-800-267-2804.
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Agencies - Prince Edward and Lennox & Addington
Counties
Prince Edward - Lennox & Addington Social Services Social Housing
Department
This site provides information on social
housing in Prince Edward and Lennox & Addington counties. It
includes a link to their
Housing Outreach
Program. This program (in Prince Edward and Lennox
and Addington Counties only) offers a one time assistance loan, to a maximum
of $1000, and includes an agreement to repay. They also provide a
list of
public and non-profit housing available.
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Provincial Rent Bank Program
A rent bank is a short-term funding mechanism through
which low-income tenants may apply to receive financial assistance to
address short-term rent arrears. The Provincial Rent Bank Program helps
ensure housing stability for those who, due to an emergency or other
unforeseen circumstance, are in short-term arrears and facing eviction.
Visit the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website for more
information on the provincial rent bank.
Another site for Rent Bank info, including full criteria
for eligibility, is the
Ontario Rent Bank Network.
To apply in Hastings County call: 613-966-8032.
To apply in Prince Edward or Lennox and Addington
Counties: 613-476-2842
Rent Subsidy Programs
The Hastings Housing Programs Branch has a program which
will provide low-income tenants approximately $210 per month towards
rent. It is geared to singles or childless couples. Please
call Janet Denyes at Hastings Housing, 613-968-3465, ext 4306 for
details.
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Other Sites
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
This ministry site has a
page outlining changes in the new
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006,
as well as links to other publications and information.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has
recently launched a new section of its website, providing information
about the offence provisions under the Residential Tenancies Act, and
the role of the
Investigation and Enforcement Unit. This section outlines
offences under the Act,
including
how to report an offence, and
how to file a maintenance complaint (for those properties where
there are no municipal property standards by-laws), as well as other
information.
Information on
reporting an office and
maintenance and repairs can also be found at the Landlord and Tenant
Board website.
Landlord and Tenant
Board (formerly Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal)
The Board′s
forms
(and instructions on how to complete the forms) are available for download on
its site. You can print them
out to complete them or complete them online and then print them out.
(They cannot be submitted online, however, they must be printed and faxed to the
Board.)
They also provide
brochures on topics covered by the Residential Tenancies Act.
Under the new Residential Tenancies Act, when you
first move in, your landlord must give you a brochure from the Landlord
and Tenant Board that tells you about the Board and about your legal
rights and responsibilities.
This brochure is also available on the Board's web site.
For other information on your landlord's obligations when
beginning a new tenancy, see the LTB's
Starting a Tenancy page.
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Government Information Centre
This is where you can file Landlord and Tenant Board
applications.
The Government Information Centre for Belleville is
located at 199 Front Street, Century Place
(1st floor).
For government services in Belleville call (613) 968-3769 or, toll free
in the 613 area, 1-800-268-8758. For TTY/Teletypewriter users only, call
1-800-268-7095. This location is wheelchair accessible.
This office also provides:
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answers to frequently asked questions about
government services
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referrals to government staff who can provide
specialized help
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access to government's Internet to search programs,
services or staff
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free government publications such as power of
attorney kits
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supply of and assistance with application forms for
government services such as birth and death certificates, health
cards, social insurance numbers, etc.
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Ministry of Labour Employment Standards Claim
acceptance
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Community Legal
Education Ontario (CLEO)*
This site
has publications on
Landlord and Tenant issues. Publications available online include
information on eviction, harassment, maintenance and repair, rent
increases, tenant rights and how to make an application to the Ontario Rental
Housing Tribunal. They have recently updated their pamphlets to
reflect changes made by the new Residential Tenancies Act.
Advocacy Centre for
Tenants (ACTO)
The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO)
works to better the housing situation of Ontario residents who have low
incomes including tenants, co-op members and people who are homeless.
ACTO works with legal clinics, tenant associations and other groups and
individuals concerned about housing issues. ACTO is funded by Legal Aid
Ontario and has been in existence since September, 2001.
Visit ACTO's site to view their many
newsletters
and
tenant tip sheets.
Tip Sheet topics include (visit site for full list):
Article for Tenants by ACTO:
So Your Landlord Wants to Sub-Meter (4 pgs)
For more information on electricity sub-metering, visit
ACTOs site.
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Affordable Housing Action Network (AHAN)
The Affordable Housing Action Network is a growing group of individuals and
organizations who want to make a difference. The AHAN's mission is:
To create more affordable housing options for people who are precariously housed
or homeless using a variety of approaches including collaborative networking,
housing development, capacity building and advocacy. Read more about AHAN
by reading
our AHAN page or visiting
their website.
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Centre for
Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA)
The Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation is a
non-profit human rights organization that promotes human rights in
housing. CERA works to remove the barriers that keep disadvantaged
individuals and families from accessing and retaining the housing they
need. Visit CERA's "Your
Rights" page to view their publications entitled "Ontario Human
Rights Code, Disability and the Duty to Accommodate: A Guide for Housing
Workers and Tenants" and "Human Rights in Housing Guide."
CERA has created a new national
Housing
Equality Resources website (July 2007). Here you will find the
Human Rights in Housing in Canada: An Advocate's Guide. The
purpose of the Guide - like the website - is to provide housing workers,
social service providers and community advocates with tools to help them
effectively challenge discrimination in housing.
Low Income Energy Network (LIEN)
This site is designed primarily to share
information with the Network about LIEN's activities, and activities of
its members on issues related to addressing the energy needs of
Ontario's low-income households and energy issues.
Visit their page on
Where to Go If You Need Help. This page provides advice on where to
go if you are having trouble coping with your energy bills.
View LIEN's monthly bulletin,
May 2006 edition,
which talks about smart meters in rental housing. You can view all
their bulletins
online at their website.
LIEN has a new
lobby toolkit you can use for the upcoming provincial election.
Visit their site for details.
Green Communities Canada, a partner of the Low Income Energy
Network, is currently running a free energy efficiency program for low
income people who live in electrically heated single, semi-detached and
row houses (as tenants or owners) and pay for
their own electricity. It typically includes: insulation,
refrigerator replacement and draft proofing. The program's measures will
not only reduce energy consumption, but also result in significant
savings in electricity bills. For people on OW and ODSP, none of the
goods or services provided will be counted as income. Therefore, people
on OW and ODSP will not face reductions in their cheques as a result of
participation.
The program is available in Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Niagara,
Haldimand, Norfolk, Brant, Waterloo region, Wellington County, Owen
Sound, Bruce & Grey counties, York region, Peterborough, Northumberland,
Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Kingston, Smith Falls and Thunder Bay.
NOTE: This program has been extended to December
31, 2007
They have funding of $2.4 million to retrofit 1100 homes
and have only done about 300, so call now!
Communities involved in the pilot program include:
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Kingston and Frontenac County
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Lanark, Leeds and Grenville
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Peterborough, Northumberland, Haliburton, City
of Kawartha Lakes
For more information, contact Green Communities Canada at 1-888-661-0000
or visit
www.greencommunitiescanada.org. View their
brochure and
application form.
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Energy Tip Sheets on Energy Redistributors
The
Ontario Energy Board has a new website providing information on
energy contracts.
The Energy Choice is Yours site
is a new consumer information initiative - created to help energy
consumers become more aware of their rights, options and
responsibilities. Through tip sheets and other materials, we want to
provide consumers with information so they make informed decisions about
their energy choices. Read their tip sheets on before and after
signing a contract and a list of historical natural gas and electricity
prices.
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Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Programs and Financial
Assistance
This site lists all the programs available to assist low
income homeowners repair/modify their homes. Financial assistance takes
the form of loans, forgivable loans or non-repayable contributions, and
can be used to fund repairs, renovations, accessibility modifications,
the creation of low-income rental units, and home adaptations. Programs
are available for low-income households, seniors, and persons with
disabilities.
Tenant's Guide to Mold
This fact sheet by the
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is intended for people
living in rented apartments or houses, and offers practical information
on mold problems - beginning with an overview of mold and its causes,
why it is a concern, and how to identify a mold problem and estimate its
severity.
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Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association
ONPHA unites 770 non-profit organizations
providing housing in 220 communities across Ontario. Their members
include municipal and private non-profits of all sizes, with all types
of funding.
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This site provides general information only,
specific to Ontario, Canada. It is
NOT legal advice. 
