Housing and Shelter

Northumberland County works closely with local agencies to deliver housing stability and homelessness prevention initiatives in the community. 

View our Affordable Housing Strategy to learn about our strategies to increase the supply of housing throughout Northumberland at various levels of affordability to meet the needs of our community. This strategy helps local housing agencies work together to identify priorities and actions that will support the development of new and improved programs to help address key local housing gaps.

Emergency shelter services

If you have no place to stay, there are places in the community that can provide emergency accommodations to individuals and families.

Find local shelters

Subsidized housing

If you have low to moderate income, you can apply for one of Northumberland County's Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) units. Learn more about subsidized housing and find out how to apply.

Find out more about the Northumberland County Housing Corporation, the largest community housing provider in Northumberland.

Housing benefit programs

Shelter benefit

If you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we may be able to help you get or keep housing through the shelter benefit.

If you are eligible, the shelter benefit can help you with:

  • Last month's rent
  • Rent arrears
  • Moving costs
  • Utility deposits, arrears and/or reconnection fees

Apply for the shelter benefit

  • If you are on Ontario Works, please speak to your caseworker
  • If you are on ODSP or have a fixed/low income, call 905-372-6846 or 1-800-354-7050 ext. 2001

Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)

The Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) program provides households with a portable housing benefit to assist with rental costs in the private housing market. The benefit is tied to the household and can be used to help pay rent anywhere in Ontario.

The COHB pays the difference between 30 per cent of the household’s income and the average market rent in the area. For recipients of social assistance, the COHB will pay the difference between the shelter allowance and the household’s rent and utilities costs. The program is administered by the Province of Ontario and the benefit amount is reviewed every year.

Am I eligible?

COHB applicants must reside permanently in Ontario and be on, or be eligible to be on, the Centralized Waitlist for Rent Geared-to-Income subsidized housing.

To receive the COHB, applicants must agree to be removed from the Centralized Waiting List as required by Provincial program guidelines.

Households cannot be receiving COHB and Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) housing or any other form of housing benefit at the same time.

How is the benefit calculated?

The benefit amount will depend on the recipient’s household size and income. The amount is calculated using a formula that includes household income, the number of people in the household and the local housing market rents in Northumberland.

COHB is a portable benefit, which means that it will continue to support recipients wherever they move in Ontario. The benefit amount may change to reflect the average local market rent.

Apply for the COHB

The 2023 COHB Program is accepting applications as of December 1, 2022 with submissions made to the Provincial Government in the spring of 2023.

For more information and to apply, call 905-372-6846 or toll-free at 1-800-354-7051.

Additional housing supports and information

Affordable Housing Grant Program

Learn more about our Affordable Housing Grant Program which offers homeowners, agencies and developers a grant of up to $20,000 per unit for the development of new affordable rental housing.

Furniture and appliances

If you were homeless and have recently found a place to live, you may be able to get help with furniture and appliances.

To learn more, contact your caseworker or call 905-372-6846 or 1-800-354-7050 ext. 2001.

Habitat for Humanity homeownership

Families can apply to purchase a home with Habitat for Humanity. To learn more about the program, please visit their website.

For more information, please call Habitat for Humanity at 289-252-0999.

Northumberland enumeration

2021 Homeless Enumeration 

On September 29, 2021, staff from Northumberland County Community & Social Services, along with local agency partners, conducted interviews with community members to gather data about how many people are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless in Northumberland, and to learn more about the individual situations and needs of people without access to stable housing.

Mandated by the Province, the 2021 Homeless Enumeration will bring greater visibility to the state of homelessness in Northumberland through a point-in-time analysis.

Please see the 2021 Enumeration Report and the 2021 Enumeration Presentation. 

2018 Registry Week

In April 2018, volunteers conducted an enumeration as part of Registry Week, an initiative designed to help inform local and provincial housing and homelessness programs and policies.

The full summary of the information gathered from the count conducted in 2018 is in the 2018 State of Homelessness in Northumberland County report.

ReNew It

Learn more about ReNew It and find out how to apply.

Renovate Northumberland
Learn more about Renovate Northumberland and find out how to apply.

Performance data

Interested in learning about what we are doing? Check on our service delivery and program metrics by visiting the County's KPI Performance Dashboard.