Ontario Works

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

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.)