Social Housing (RGI) Program

Social Housing refers to rental housing developed with the assistance of government and subsidized by government for people with low to moderate incomes, seniors, or people with special needs who can live, with supports, in the community.

Subsidies are based on the tenants' ability to pay, with rents calculated at approximately 30% of gross monthly household income up to market rent.  This is known as Rent Geared To Income.

The Division also administers Social Housing Centralized Waitlist.  If you are eligible, you will be placed on the waitlist.  Most people need to find their own rental housing in the private market while they are on the wait list as it can be a long wait.

Please click here to learn more about the Social Housing (Rent Geared to Income) Program.

 Rent Supplement Program

A Rent Supplement is a nominal subsidy paid to the landlord on behalf of a household in need of rental assistance.

Please click here to learn more about the Rent Supplement Program.

Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit

The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) is a federal-provincial housing allowance program.  The purpose of the COHB program is to increase the affordability of rental housing by providing an income-tested, Portable Housing Benefit (PHB) payment directly to eligible households in housing need that are on, or are eligible to be on, social housing waiting lists and to households in housing need living in community housing.

Please click here to learn more about the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit.

 Ontario Renovates Program

Ontario Renovates is a forgivable loan / grant program for low-to-moderate income homeowners in Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. This program is being delivered with funding from the federal and provincial governments.

This program provides financial assistance in the form of a 10 year forgivable loan to make essential home repairs, and/or a grant to increase a homeowner's accessibility, up to a maximum of $12,000 (including $5,000.00 for accessibility and approved administrative costs).

Please click here to learn more about the Ontario Renovates Program.

 Domiciliary Program

The Housing Access Centre works closely with a number of privately operated, permanent residences for people who require assistance with their activities of daily living.

Financial assistance may be available for eligible individuals who have a need for Domiciliary Care but are not able to cover the costs.  It is intended to ‘top-up’ the income of residents.

There are 3 primary factors in determining and approving eligibility for subsidy for placement in a Domiciliary Hostel:

• Medical Need
• Financial Need
• Appropriateness of placement

There are established agreements with numerous domiciliary hostels within the City of Cornwall and the United Counties of S.D.&G.

Please click here to learn more about the Domiciliary Program.

 Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP)

Through the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, financial assistance may be available to eligible individuals, to assist with the cost of expenses to help maintain a permanent residence, rather than face eviction and homelessness.

Please click here to learn more about the Homelessness Prevention Program.

 Ten Year Housing Plan 

The City of Cornwall’s Housing Programs has developed a Ten Year Housing Plan for the City of Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.  This local Plan is a high level strategic plan focused on the whole spectrum of housing in our service area that responds to local circumstance and to those specific needs with innovative community-based solutions.

Please click here to learn more about the Ten Year Housing Plan.

You can also view the 2024 Community Housing & Homelessness Plan by clicking here.

 Enumeration 

Homeless enumeration is a count of the minimum number of people who are experiencing homelessness in a community over a specific period of time. Enumeration involves gathering information about the demographic characteristics, circumstances, and needs of those experiencing homelessness in our communities.

Please click here to learn more about Enumeration.

Housing Revitalization Plan

The results of this review and evaluation can be found in the Housing Revitalization Plan.

Cornwall SDG Human Services Department is the Service Manager for both the City of Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. There are a total for 1,643 community housing units for seniors, single and family units across 35 properties.

A review of the current community housing stock took place along with an evaluation of housing needs throughout the service area of Cornwall SDG.  

Housing Needs Assessment

Canada's Housing Plan and Budget 2024 have highlighted the Government of Canada's commitment to utilizing Housing Needs Assessments as a crucial tool in its evidence-based strategy to address housing needs nationwide. This initiative includes the renewal of the Canada Community-Building Fund and the previously announced permanent transit funding.

To become a more informed investor, the federal government emphasizes the importance of evidence-based tools that provide a clear assessment of local needs and gaps. Housing Needs Assessments will assist all levels of government in understanding the housing needs of communities and how these needs relate to infrastructure priorities. By providing essential data, Housing Needs Assessments will help determine the type and location of housing required, promoting systematic planning that considers both current and future housing needs.

When conducted properly and regularly, a Housing Needs Assessment will enable a community to answer key questions such as:

• Where does the greatest housing need exist in our community?
• How can we set meaningful housing targets and measure progress to support the right kind of housing for all residents?
• How much housing, of what size, and at what price point do we need to ensure that all current and future households can live in suitable, adequate, and affordable housing?

Housing Needs Assessments will provide all levels of government (federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal) with an evidence base to inform their investments in enabling and supportive infrastructure, as well as guide policy and regulatory decision-making. This tool can help communities plan for and build housing more effectively to address residents' needs, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Click here to view the full City of Cornwall Housing Needs Assessment. 

The Community Housing Development Plan is intended to provide direction to the City of Cornwall Human Services Department - as the regional community housing provider for Cornwall/SDG - for the development of new community housing on several selected sites throughout the region. The preparation of this plan was a direct response to the housing need identified in the 2020 Housing Revitalization Plan, which identified the need for 995 new affordable homes (adjusted in 2023) over the next ten years. This Plan provides a road map and vision for addressing part of this need over the next ten years through the development of selected sites and seeks to establish a strong precedent for how to approach subsequent initiatives to identify, acquire, and develop new community housing in the area. 

This Plan outlines an actionable, forward-looking, but realistic road map for the development of affordable housing on seven different parcels of land in the City of Cornwall and United Counties of SDG. Special care has been put into ensuring the concepts and recommendations in this Plan are grounded in local context, tailored to the site-specific conditions of each parcel, and facilitate a greater diversity and range of community housing options. A set of four guiding principles (ABCDs) were identified at the outset of the Plan’s development to uphold these commitments. Considering the above, this Plan has been prepared to:

• Identify a forward-looking development vision for new community housing development on each study site in the land portfolio, that balances good planning and design with feasibility.

• Quantify the housing capacity and costs estimated for the development of the site plan concepts for each study site in the land portfolio.

• Guide implementation of the plan through a clear strategy that outlines a recommended approach to development, funding, and scheduling.

• Highlight continuing gaps that need to be addressed with affordable housing supply (i.e., the need for additional development lands).

This Plan is intended to be implemented over a ten-year period under ideal development and funding conditions. Further details on implementation and timing are provided in this Plan. It should be noted that, while this Plan makes every effort to provide a realistic vision through the development concepts prepared for each site in the land portfolio, future changes may be necessary to better align the Plan with shifting priorities, available funding, site-specific development conditions, and/or feedback received from the community or partners associated with a given project.

Click here to view the City of Cornwall's Community Housing Development Plan