Ontario Works

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Overview

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Video transcript

Ontario Works helps people who are in financial need. It offers two types of assistance:

Financial assistance, including:

income support to help with the costs of basic needs, like food, clothing and shelter
health benefits for clients and their families

Employment assistance to help clients find, prepare for and keep a job. This assistance may include:

workshops on resume writing and interviewing
job counselling
job-specific training
access to basic education, so clients can finish high school or improve their language skills

In most cases, a client must agree to participate in employment assistance activities in order to receive financial assistance.

Emergency assistance is also available to people who are in a crisis or an emergency situation (e.g. people who have lost their homes, are leaving an abusive relationship and/or are worried about their safety).

Eligibility

To be eligible for Ontario Works you must:

live in Ontario
be in financial need (your household doesn’t have sufficient financial resources to meet basic living expenses)
be willing to make reasonable efforts to find, prepare for and keep a job (unless you have specific circumstances that temporarily prevent you from doing so, such as an illness or caregiving responsibilities)

Other adult members of your household must also agree to participate in employment assistance activities.

Applying

You can start the application process either online, by phone or in person.

Online, use the Online Application for Social Assistance
By phone or in person, call or visit your local Ontario Works office

Once you’ve started the process, an Ontario Works caseworker will contact you to schedule an in-person meeting.

You will be asked to bring specific documents to the meeting, so that the caseworker can verify:

your personal information
information about members of your household
your household’s financial needs
your household’s income and assets

During your meeting, you will be asked to sign several forms, including a consent form that gives the Ontario Works office permission to access information about you from other government programs or organizations (e.g., Ministry of Transportation, Employment Insurance, Equifax Canada).

The Ontario Works office will use the information you provide, along with the information from other organizations, to determine if you qualify for assistance.

A decision will be made within four business days from when you first contacted the office, as long as you have provided all of the required information and completed the application.