Ontario Works

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 such as 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
• Literacy testing and 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 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 (must be a resident of the community)
• Be in financial need (your household doesn't have sufficient financial resources to meet basic living expenses)
• Be willing to make reasonable effort 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 care-giving responsibilities)
  

Applying

Applying

You can start the application process by contacting or visiting our Ontario Works office to schedule a time for an in-person meeting.

You will be asked to bring specific documents to the intake process 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 asset

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 organizations or government programs (e.g Ministry of Transportation, Employment insurance, etc.)