Find Housing

Community housing provides applicants with safe and affordable housing. There are many community housing units in Brantford and Brant County, but as in many communities, demand is high and eligible applicants will be placed on a wait list.

Affordable housing units are units offered at or below average market rent for eligible applicants.

Please note that community and affordable housing is not an emergency shelter. Visit Emergency Shelters for more information about temporary stays.

How to apply

Our Housing Program Coordinators process all applications. Please keep your information up to date so our housing providers can reach you. 

There are three ways new applicants can apply for affordable housing:

  1. Community Housing Applicant Portal – Using the Community Housing Applicant Portal will allow you to enter your information, attach documents, receive email communications, and monitor the status of your application online. Your application will automatically save, so you can come back to it later. A valid email address and access to the internet is required.
  2. SOAR Housing Resource Centre – Applicants who require assistance with completing a housing application can call 1-888-621-0034 or visit the SOAR Community Services Housing Resource Centre Website.
  3. Affordable Housing Application – An application can be mailed to you. Call 519-759-4150 and ask for the Housing Application to be mailed to you.

If you have an existing application and have a question that is not answered on this webpage, contact housingapplications@brantford.ca.

Who is Eligible

The City of Brantford has local rules that give priority on the waitlist for certain types of applicants for community housing. Applicants who have experienced domestic violence, human trafficking or are currently homeless will receive priority status .

To qualify for community housing, you must meet the following criteria:

  • you must be a Canadian citizen, have made an application for permanent residency or made a claim for refugee protection
  • At least one household member is 16 years of age or older, and able to live independently
  • You must not owe rent, housing charge arrears or damages to another housing provider. If you owe arrears or damages, you must have a repayment schedule in place that is active and current
  • No member of your household has been convicted of an offence related to housing assistance
  • If you own a home, you must agree to sell it. (Homeowner Declaration Form 2022)
  • If you require support services, you may be eligible for a modified unit. You will need to pursue the support services you require to live independently
  • Your household income must be below a limit that shows your household could afford paying market rent
  • Review the Community Housing Centralized Waitlist Information Guide for more information.

Priority Applications

Below are the priorities and the criteria for each.  Your circumstances will need to be verified by a community agency as outlined in the two below priorities.

Special Priority Status (Domestic Abuse & Survivors of Human Trafficking)

Under the Housing Services Act the Special Priority Program (SPP) for households with current or recent experience of domestic abuse or human trafficking gives them priority access to Rent-Geared-to-Income Housing or Portable Housing Benefits. City of Brantford staff is responsible for determining eligibility for this program and helping individuals experiencing abuse apply for housing benefits and register for rental housing geared to their income.

For the purposes of Special Priority, abuse means one or more incidents of: physical or sexual violence, controlling behaviour, or intentional destruction of or intentional injury to property, or words, actions or gestures that threaten an individual or lead an individual to fear for his or her safety.

For survivors of human trafficking, those who are currently being trafficked or those who have exited trafficking within a period of three (3) months are eligible to apply for Special Priority Status (SPP).

To apply for SPP, complete the Special Priority Status form and submit with supporting verification documents.
Homeless Priority Status

Under the Housing Services Act households currently experiencing homelessness can apply for priority access to the centralized Housing wait list.

For the purposes of allowing these individuals and families priority to housing in the City of Brantford and the County of Brant, the criteria for the circumstance of homelessness includes:

  1. Person living on the street
  2. Person living in a motel
  3. Person living in substandard housing that has been condemned by the City or County
  4. Person using the emergency shelter system as their primary residence
  5. Person whose housing has recently been destroyed by fire or natural disaster
  6. Person living with family or friends on a temporary basis for less than six months
  7. Person awaiting release from hospital or other time-limited treatment facility who cannot return to their former place of residence due to the modifications required to the home.

To apply for homeless status, please complete the Homeless Priority form.