Searching for Help To Find Housing

Working with existing social and health services to provide education programs, outreach, housing stability and support services to residents of Oxford County.

Outreach and Housing

Drop-In Services include:
* Form completion
* System navigation
* Advocacy
* Information on community resources
* Appointment support
* Housing system navigation
* Support completing rental applications
* Housing search support
* Kijiji tips & tricks

Working with existing social and health services to provide education programs, outreach, housing stability and support services to residents of Oxford County.

Outreach and Housing

Drop-In Services include:
* Form completion
* System navigation
* Advocacy
* Information on community resources
* Appointment support
* Housing system navigation
* Support completing rental applications
* Housing search support
* Kijiji tips & tricks

A warm place out of the cold to connect with trained staff and community supports. Central location for legal, medical and social services professionals. Food and hot meals. Showers, laundry machines and storage lockers. Program staff includes Housing Stability Workers (HSW) and Peer Outreach Workers (POW). Naloxone kits and safe injection kits available. Focus on supporting individuals in Stratford who are currently experiencing homelessness to take steps towards permanent housing.

Assists women to develop goals as they leave an abusive relationship

• provides information and help accessing and maintaining housing, court support, and advocacy
  
• provides legal advocacy services for Family law and criminal law issues to women

Services offered:

• support in developing a Transition Plan to become free of abuse
  
• information on other services for women and their children within the community and assistance with securing those services
  
• help in understanding abuse and how it affects women and their children
  
• court support in both family and criminal matters
  
• accompaniment to appointments and advocacy where the women requires support
  
• development of a safety plan
  
• assistance completing applications and documentation - housing, immigration, disability
  
• resource and referral Information

Arrangements can be made for women without access to transportation

Assists women exiting or considering exiting abusive relationships through: access to counselling and emotional support programs. Safety planning and risk assessment. Applications for community supports such as housing, social assistance.

Provides services for clients that are residing in shelter as well as in the community on an outreach basis

Housing application program

• allows people seeking affordable housing in City of Brantford and the County of Brant to apply to a large number of housing providers at the same time
  
• applicants complete a single application and can choose the locations and providers, which include over 13 housing providers and over 2,000 housing units, where they would like to be housed
  
• maintains the waiting list for these Social Housing / Rent Geared to Income units across Brant County

Maintains listings of housing available for Fanshawe College students, throughout the City of London * available at the office or online * partners with Places4Students Inc.

Resource centre focused on housing

Services include:

• diversion and prevention - stabilizes those at imminent risk of homelessness to maintain their housing or find alternative accommodation through access to case management and financial supports
  
• financial management services - acts as homelessness prevention for voluntary and mandatory clients needing support with their finances to maintain housing stability. The service ensures the payment of rent and utilities and access to case management supports
  
• ID clinic - provides financial supports to obtain a birth certificate, health card and other forms of ID. Staff will help complete the applications and may help with the cost of renewal or application fees
  
• rapid rehousing - Immediate access to short-term case management and financial support to avoid or exit emergency accommodations into permanent housing with necessary wrap around supports
  
• Housing Stability Fund - program can help obtain and maintain stable housing by providing utility arrears and deposits, housing related arrears or last month's rent
  
• outreach - community-based support
  
• access to emergency shelter

Workshops promote healthy living through educating participants in an interactive way * participants learn and apply information from workshops to everyday life * workshop series are 8-10 weeks long * held in various locations throughout the city

Recreational programs held throughout the year include:

• soccer
• baseball
• floor hockey
• Creative Escapes
• Skills4Life
  

Home providers (families and citizens) offer a safe and nurturing environment for adults with developmental disabilities (home sharers)

• helps adults with developmental disabilities live as independently as possible in their communities

Group Living provides support to a small group of people in an agency-owned or rented home within Brantford and Brant County. Homes are designed with features to meet with specific needs of the people residing there and many of the homes are accessible

Provides and advocates for a full range of community-based services for people with developmental disabilities including accommodation, employment, respite, community access, planning and Passport supports

The Waterloo Region Community Services Department provides resources on the topics of:

• Income Support (e.g. Ontario Works)
  
• Employment Services/Employment Resource Centres
  
• Children's Services
  
• Seniors Services
  
• Housing Services
  

The FIT program provides centralized intake for families requesting emergency shelter

• FIT supports families with eviction prevention services, shelter diversion and rapid re-housing from shelter, with the goal of reducing or avoiding emergency shelter stays.
  
• Through a coordinated shelter intake process FIT staff assess a family's housing needs and develop a plan for best housing options.
• Family must be within seven days of losing their housing to access support.
  

Provides families, couples and individuals with assistance in finding and maintaining rental housing. Housing Services provides financial assistance in the form of interest-free loans or grants to eligible individuals who are experiencing financial difficulties that are leading to eviction or difficulty in securing housing.

Housing cooperative helping low-income First Nations households living in urban areas to obtain suitable and affordable rental housing in the private market * provides assistance to Native sponsors whose purpose is to supply housing for low-income First Nations households

Provides families, couples and individuals with assistance in finding and maintaining rental housing. Housing Services provides financial assistance in the form of interest-free loans or grants to eligible individuals who are experiencing financial difficulties that are leading to eviction or difficulty in securing housing.

Assists people with disabilities to ease their daily living, accessibility and employment issues

Social and recreational programs * independent living services based in Sarnia * summer camp offered in Geneva Park, Orillia

Assistive Devices Program - Assists adults with disabilities with funding for the purchase, repair, and maintenance of a wide variety of mobility or assistive devices such as wheelchairs and scooters

Home and Vehicle Modification Program - Financial assistance toward the cost of required home or vehicle modifications for eligible Ontario residents of any age who have a long-term physical disability

AccessAbility Advantage (A+) - accessible design expertise in the development or redesign of residential buildings, small businesses and organizations * offers document conversion, internal and external communications, policy development to meet accessibility standards

Employment Services - Employment services including assessments, training, job placement and on-the-job support to help people return to work

Community-based housing support services * Housing Stability Worker assists with locating and securing housing * develops an action plan to meet client's needs * action plan includes goal setting and strategies to work towards community stability

Supports may include:

• finding and securing permanent housing
• support with activities of daily living (cooking, cleaning)
• support with community appointments and grocery shopping
• financial/budgeting needs
• crisis management and/or prevention
• substance use and addiction support
• support in addressing physical and mental health needs
• information and referral to community resources and services
• building community relationships and support networks
• community recreation and leisure activities

Community-based housing support services * Housing Stability Worker assists with locating and securing housing * develops an action plan to meet client's needs * action plan includes goal setting and strategies to work towards community stability

Supports may include:

• finding and securing permanent housing
• support with activities of daily living (cooking, cleaning)
• support with community appointments and grocery shopping
• financial/budgeting needs
• crisis management and/or prevention
• substance use and addiction support
• support in addressing physical and mental health needs
• information and referral to community resources and services
• building community relationships and support networks
• community recreation and leisure activities

Information and applications for London and Middlesex Housing Corporation units, nonprofit housing, cooperative housing, subsidy, rent supplement program and rent-geared-to-income programs

Reviews application and explains the different housing options that are available then forwards application directly to the housing provider selected * maintains a Common Waitlist System * housing providers have a variety of handicapped accessible units

Ontario Renovates Program - Program offers financial assistance for low to moderate income households to increase accessibility of their dwelling through minor modifications and adaptations * funding is limited * applications accepted on a first come, first served basis until funds are depleted

Studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments with kitchenette

Weekly housekeeping, all meals, heat and air conditioning, hydro, parking * attendant escorts, recreational activities, personal care available for an additional fee

Recreational facilities and social opportunities are open to the public

Service coordination for children and youth with complex needs that may require a response from more than one service provider

CSCN is the single point of access to residential-based treatment services for children and adolescents

Service coordination for children and youth with complex needs who may require a response from more than one service provider * single point of access for children and adolescents who require access to residential-based mental health treatment services * Developmental Services Ontario South West Region and Passport South West Region are divisions of this agency

Children's Services - Service coordination for children and youth with complex needs that may require a response from more than one service provider

Developmental Services Ontario - South West Region - Single point of access to adult developmental services funded by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for adults with a developmental disability

Passport Program - Helps adults who have a developmental disability to be involved in their communities and live as independently as possible by providing funding for community participation services and supports, activities of daily living and person-directed planning * passport funding can also be used to provide caregiver respite

WrapAround - Individualized, coordinated, family-driven plans to meet the complex needs of children and their families