Immediate Resources

Do you need financial help due to COVID-19?

There is financial assistance available for eligible applicants who are:

low-income individuals and families that are not already receiving support from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, and
people who are not able to access federal programs such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit.

Ontario Works’ Emergency Assistance Program will help you meet basic living expenses such as food, rent, medicine, and other essentials. Emergency Assistance is available for up to 48 days at a time without needing to submit a full Ontario Works application.

You can apply for this assistance online, or by calling your local Ontario Works office.

Are you unable to work because

You are ill, quarantined, or self-isolating
You provide care for children
You provide care for someone who is ill
You are Still employed but not being paid
You are Still employed but earn less than $1000 a month
You have exhausted your Employment Insurance (EI)
You are self-employed

If you have lost income because of COVID-19, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) may provide you with temporary income support.

If you are still employed but not being paid

Ask your employer if they have looked into the temporary federal Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS).

Your employer may be able to receive payments that cover a significant portion of wages for up to 24 weeks (from March 15, 2020, to August 29, 2020).

The subsidy will cover up to 75 per cent of the first $58,700 that an employee earns and provide workers with up to $800 per week.

Who can apply: Businesses (regardless of sector or number of employees) that have lost 15 to 30 per cent of their revenue (depending on the starting month of the claim period) due to the pandemic.

Important: If you receive a subsidized salary through the CEWS, you cannot apply for the CERB.

If you have exhausted your EI

As of April 15, workers who recently exhausted their EI regular benefits and are unable to find a job or return to work because of the pandemic are eligible for the CERB.

If your regular EI benefits were lower than the CERB’s benefit of $500/week, you will be topped up to $500/week while you are receiving the CERB.

If you are an Artist, Musician or a creator

Artists/creators who earn less than $1,000 a month are eligible for the CERB. And royalties for artistic works do not count towards the $1,000 cap.

If you are a current recipient of Ontario Works (OW) or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

For May, June, and July 2020, Ontario will provide a new Extended Emergency Benefit for OW and ODSP recipients.

This is a flat-rate monthly benefit of $100 for single individuals and $200 for families. It is meant to cover extra COVID-related costs such as the cost of Personal Protective Equipment required for medical visits, cleaning supplies, food delivery, or travel.

Recipients who received emergency discretionary benefits in March or April will receive the Extended Emergency Benefit automatically. All other recipients need to request this from your caseworker.

Most people who receive the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will not be eligible for the Extended Emergency Benefit. There are some exceptions:

If you are under 18 years old
If you are over 18 and in secondary school full-time (at least 17.5 hours a week of classes and/or 3 credits a semester or 6 credits a year)
If you are in post-secondary school full-time (at least 60% of a regular course load, or 40% for those with a permanent disability)

OW Recipients: Call your worker directly to request the benefit

ODSP Recipients: Call your ODSP office to request the benefit through the receptionist- Call the Emergency Benefit Application Line 1-888-444-2412 and leave a voicemail- Email ODSP.EmergencyBenefit@ontario.ca with your request

If you want to check the status of your application, you can use the Interactive Voice Response system (IVR) at 1-800-808-2268 or MyBenefits at mybenefits.mcss.gov.on.ca

For any other questions, please contact your local office.

More information can be found through the links below:

https://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/

https://stepstojustice.ca/questions/covid-19/odsp-giving-people-extra-help-because-covid-19

Are you afraid that you may lose your job if you can’t go into work?

The Provincial government has passed the Employment Standards Amendment Act (Infectious Disease Emergencies), 2020.

This amendment provides job-protected leave to:

employees in isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19,
employees who need to be away from work to care for children because of school or daycare closures, and
employees who need to be away from work to care for other relatives

Changes to renting

The government has made temporary changes to residential rental processes.

Learn about the changes and where tenants and landlords can get help.

Help for electricity bills

From March 24 to May 8, 2020, residential, farm and small business time-of-use customers will pay the lowest rate — also known as the off-peak price — 24 hours a day. That means you will pay 10.1 ¢/kWh no matter what time of day you use electricity. This rate will be automatically applied to your bill.

Through the Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP), low-income customers can get direct support to pay bills and ensure electricity and natural gas services are not disconnected during the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you are behind on your bill and may have your service disconnected, you could qualify for:

$500 for electricity bills ($600 if your home is heated electrically)
$500 for natural gas bills
Doubled GAINS payments for seniors
If you are a senior receiving monthly Ontario Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) payments, your payment will become doubled, making it up to $166 per month for individuals and up to $332 per month for couples.

If you are a GAINS recipient, you will receive this extra support automatically for six months, with the first payment on April 24, 2020.

Mental health and addictions supports

If you’re feeling anxious, experiencing other mental health or addiction challenges or you can’t access your regular in-person counselling support, there are services you can access online or by phone:

ConnexOntario: Adults and frontline workers who are dealing with the realities of COVID-19 can call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 for mental health, addictions and problem gambling support.
211 Ontario :For information and referrals for community, government, social and health services, including mental health resources across Ontario, call 211 or 1-877-330-3213. Live web chat is also available.
BounceBack: A free, evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) program that offers guided mental health self-help supports for adults and youth 15+ using workbooks, online videos and phone coaching. Call 1-866-345-0224.
Kids Help Phone : Children and youth 18 and younger who need to talk to someone about their mental health can call 1-800-668-6868, for 24/7 phone and text support.
Good2Talk : A phone and texting service that offers confidential support to post-secondary students. Call 1-866-925-5454.
Hope for Wellness Helpline: Indigenous peoples can call 1-855-242-3310 for immediate mental health counseling and crisis intervention across Canada (available in some Indigenous languages). Live web chat is also available.
Talk 4 Healing : Indigenous women can get help, support and resources seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with services in 14 languages by calling or texting 1-855-554-4325. Live web chat is also available.

Seniors

The Al Hikmah Academy is providing free grocery delivery to all seniors between March 16 and 22 daily from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Contact 647-868-2540 for more info.
Toronto Seniors Helpline is breaking up the isolation by speaking to seniors on the phone- 416-217-2077.
The Toronto Hifz Academy is offering free grocery and prescription delivery service for the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park Community between March 17 and April 5. Call or text 647-505-8622 for more info. The service is available for anyone who is elderly, or immunocompromised.
The SPRINT Senior Care’s Meals on Wheels program offers year-round meal deliveries for seniors. For more info call 416-481-6411.

Women in abusive relationships

Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) Crisis line remains open, providing emotional support as a result of experiencing gender-based domestic violence and/or uncertainty during these difficult times. 604-687-1867 or 1-855-687-1868 – intake@bwss.org
Assaulter Women’s Helpline: 416.364.4144/ Toll-free 1.888.364.1210/ Toll-free TTY 1.833.286.9865
Victim Services Toronto– referral services for seniors, women in abusive relationships, youth, persons with disability- 416-808-7066

Emergency shelters and other support services

Women and children’s shelters: Ontario funded emergency shelters for women and children fleeing violence are available to offer support during the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police.

To find support in your area, call one of the provincial crisis lines or contact Ontario 211 by phone at 2-1-1 or 1-877-330-3213 (toll-free), and TTY at 188-834-0100.

Get information about emergency shelters

Toronto Shelter Network

Children with special needs

Some service providers already offer services through telephone or video applications where appropriate and are considering other remote and virtual service delivery models. You can contact your service provider for updated information and to discuss what services may be available.

Get information about services for children with special needs

Get information about services under the Ontario Autism Program