EmergencyHousing.CA - Ontario housing help
Last updated: November 13, 2026
Last verified: November 13, 2026 against the sources named at the foot of this page. Rates change every July.
ODSP housing in Ontario means making rent work on the Ontario Disability Support Program. A single person on ODSP can get up to $1,436 a month from July 1, 2026: $825 for basic needs plus up to $611 for shelter. That shelter maximum is the hard part. It has to cover rent, heat, hydro, water, property taxes, insurance and condo fees, and it is paid only up to your actual costs. If your rent is $900, ODSP pays $611 for shelter and the other $289 comes out of your $825 basic needs, leaving $536 for everything else. This page gives the exact 2026 figures, the rent rules, and the routes that actually close the gap: rent-geared-to-income housing, the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, and shared accommodation.
Quick answer: the ODSP shelter allowance maximum for a single person is $611 a month (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027). Your total ODSP maximum is $1,436 a month. If you live in rent-geared-to-income housing and ODSP is your only income, your rent is set under a provincial rent scale instead: $109 a month for a one-person benefit unit. See the tables below.
ODSP pays the lower of your actual shelter costs or the maximum for your benefit unit size. The maximums below are in force from July 1, 2026, after a 1.9 percent inflation increase, and run through June 30, 2027. ODSP rates are adjusted for inflation every July.
| Benefit unit size | Maximum shelter allowance |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $611 |
| 2 people | $959 |
| 3 people | $1,038 |
| 4 people | $1,126 |
| 5 people | $1,215 |
| 6 or more people | $1,259 |
| Household | Basic needs | Maximum shelter | Total maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single person | $825 | $611 | $1,436 |
| Couple, one person has a disability | $1,189 | $959 | $2,148 |
| Single parent, one child under 18 | $968 (includes the $143 parent supplement) | $959 | $1,927 |
| Single parent, two children under 18 | $968 | $1,038 | $2,006 |
| Couple, one child under 18 | $1,189 | $1,038 | $2,227 |
Sources: Ontario.ca, ODSP policy directive 6.2 (Shelter calculation), July 2026; Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) July 2026 rate sheet; the site's own OW and ODSP rates page. The Ontario Child Benefit is paid separately and is not part of the ODSP rate itself.
Watch out for stale figures. Some guides still list the pre-July-2026 ODSP shelter cap of $599 and a $1,408 total. Those were the rates before the 1.9 percent increase on July 1, 2026. The correct 2026 figures are $611 and $1,436. If a page you are reading shows $599 or $1,408, it is out of date.
Shelter costs are the costs of the dwelling place you use as your principal residence in Ontario. They can include rent, mortgage payments (principal and interest), occupancy costs under an agreement to purchase, property taxes, home insurance premiums, condo or co-op common expenses, utilities and heating costs, and approved home repairs. If you share accommodation, your shelter allowance reflects your actual share of the housing costs, up to the maximum for your benefit unit size. If you have no shelter costs, you get no shelter allowance.
ODSP also has an asset limit: $40,000 for a single person and $50,000 for a couple, plus $500 per other dependant. Your home and one car do not count. Source: ODSP eligibility, Government of Ontario.
If you receive both food and shelter from the same source - you live with someone and they buy and prepare the food - ODSP pays a board and lodging rate instead of separate basic needs and shelter amounts. For a single person the board and lodging rate is $1,013 a month, plus a $71 special boarder allowance, for a total of $1,084 a month, at the rates in force since July 2026. All ODSP recipients in board and lodging arrangements receive the maximum board and lodging rate, subject to any income deductions. Source: Ontario.ca, ODSP policy directive 6.3 (Board and lodge), July 2026.
Rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing is the single biggest lever for people on ODSP, because the rent is geared to income instead of the market. If your only income is ODSP and you live in RGI housing, your rent is set under the provincial rent scale in Ontario Regulation 316/19, not by the straight 30 percent formula. The scale is:
| Benefit unit size | Monthly rent attributable to the benefit unit |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $109 |
| 2 people | $199 |
| 3 people | $236 |
| 4 people | $278 |
| 5 people | $321 |
| 6 people | $363 |
Utility adjustments in Tables 4 to 8 of the same regulation can raise or lower the amount. If you have income other than ODSP above the non-benefit income limit in the scale, your rent is calculated at approximately 30 percent of that income instead. Read the full RGI guide on this site: Rent-Geared-to-Income Housing Ontario (RGI). RGI is applied for through your local service manager, and waits are measured in years, not weeks, except for Special Priority households. If you are fleeing abuse, ask about Special Priority: it moves you to the top of the wait list.
The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) is a portable monthly rent subsidy for eligible low-income Ontario households. It is not counted as income, so it does not lower your ODSP. That makes it one of the few ways to add money on top of ODSP for rent. COHB is administered through local service managers and has its own eligibility rules and priority groups. Ask your ODSP caseworker or your local service manager whether you qualify. Read more on this site: Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit.
There is no cheap market rent that fits a $611 shelter maximum in most Ontario cities. The routes that actually work are:
Search for housing help, shelters and support services near you in the Ontario Resource Directory, and check what benefits you may be owed with our Ontario benefits checker.
Tell your ODSP caseworker when you move or your rent changes, and provide proof of the new rent (a lease, rent receipt or letter from your landlord). Your shelter allowance is recalculated from the change. If your rent goes up, your shelter allowance rises only up to the maximum for your benefit unit size. If your rent goes down, your shelter allowance drops to the new actual cost. Keep copies of everything you send. If you move to another city, your ODSP file moves with you, but an RGI application does not: RGI is run by each local service manager, so you must apply again in the new area.
ODSP pays your actual shelter costs up to a maximum based on your benefit unit size. From July 1, 2026 the maximums are $611 a month for one person, $959 for two, $1,038 for three, $1,126 for four, $1,215 for five, and $1,259 for six or more. If your rent is lower than the maximum, you get the lower amount.
Up to $1,436 a month: $825 for basic needs plus up to $611 for shelter, at the rates in force from July 1, 2026 after a 1.9 percent inflation increase. The shelter part is only paid up to your actual housing costs.
Usually not. The ODSP shelter maximum for a single person is $611 a month, while the average one-bedroom rent in Ontario is far higher. If your rent is above the maximum, the extra comes out of your $825 basic needs. That is why rent-geared-to-income housing, the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, and shared accommodation matter so much for people on ODSP.
If your only income is ODSP and you live in rent-geared-to-income housing, your rent is set under the provincial rent scale in Ontario Regulation 316/19, not by the 30 percent formula. The scale is $109 a month for a one-person benefit unit, $199 for two, $236 for three, $278 for four, $321 for five, and $363 for six, plus or minus utility adjustments.
Last verified: November 13, 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the source named here on that date. Rates change every July, so confirm the current figures on ontario.ca before you rely on them.
Related guides on this site: Ontario Works housing, Rent-Geared-to-Income Housing Ontario, Emergency Housing Ontario, Ontario Resource Directory, Ontario benefits checker.