The City of Stratford Social Services Department is the provincially-designated Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM or ‘Service Manager’) responsible for administering social services in the City of Stratford, Perth County, and the Town of St. Marys. The Department’s Housing Division provides a range of programs and services to help residents access housing options that are affordable and meet their needs, situations, and choice. The following are a part of the Housing Division’s portfolio:
| Applying for RGI Housing through the Housing Access Centre |
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The centralized waiting list is a modified-chronological wait list of all applicants eligible for rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing in Stratford, Perth County, and St. Marys. The Housing Access Centre (HAC) manages the list and processes all completed applications for subsidized housing. If you are eligible, the HAC will add you to the centralized waiting list. This waiting list is based on the date that you apply for housing. When your name reaches the top of the list, a housing provider – not the HAC – will contact you with an offer. The staff at HAC cannot predict or guess when you will be housed. It will depend on the status your file was given, the date you applied for housing, and your housing selections. For more information on the Housing Access Centre (HAC) and how to apply for RGI housing, click here. |
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Britannia Street Affordable Housing |
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The City of Stratford owns and operates 35 affordable housing units at 230 Britannia Street in Stratford. “Affordable” means that the rental rates are 80% of the average market rent (AMR) for comparable units in Stratford. For more information and for how to apply when units become available, please click here. |
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Community (Social) Housing Providers |
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As Service Manager, the Housing Division provides oversight and support to local housing providers that offer rent-geared-to-income (RGI) or subsidized housing. These providers include:
Most of these providers also offer units at market rent for which they maintain their own waiting lists. For more information on market rent units, please contact the housing providers directly. Click here for a full list of these providers, their location and contact information. |
| Housing and Homelessness Plan for Stratford, Perth County, and St. Marys |
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The Housing & Homelessness Plan for Stratford, Perth County, and St. Marys outlines the framework for delivering housing and homelessness services locally. Originally released in 2014, the Plan was updated in 2019 to make sure it continues to reflect local needs and aligns with the work being done at the provincial and federal levels. Stratford, Perth County, and St. Marys Housing & Homelessness Plan (2020-2024) 5-Year Update Annual Reports For more information on our local homelessness response, click here.
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| Perth and Stratford Housing Corporation (PSHC) |
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The Perth and Stratford Housing Corporation (PSHC) is a part of the Housing Division and owns and operates 663 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units in the communities of Atwood, Listowel, Milverton, Mitchell, St. Marys, and Stratford. For more information on the PSHC, Click here. |
| Rent Support Programs |
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Rent supports are government-funded payments that bridge the gap between what a household can afford to pay and what the actual cost of housing is. Depending on the program and source of funding, these payments can be used for both private market and community housing units. |
| Affordable Homeownership Loan Program | ||||
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The City of Stratford Social Services Department is the provincially-designated Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (‘Service Manager’) and administers the Affordable Homeownership Program which provides qualified low to moderate income households with down payment assistance loans of up to 5% of the purchase price of a home (‘Eligible Residential Property’). The 2021 maximum household income limit for applications to the Affordable Homeownership Loan Program is $90,700 if applying as a couple or family and $74,600 if applying as an individual. The current maximum purchase price of an eligible Residential Property for 2021 is $437,622. Applications submitted will be reviewed and qualification determined on an as submitted basis. Qualification for the program does not guarantee allocation of funding to the application. Preference will be given chronologically to complete and eligible applications. |
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| Service Manager Directives and Forms | ||||
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Community Housing Directives The majority of community (social) housing is governed by provincial legislation known as the Housing Services Act, 2011. Under this act, Service Managers are responsible for developing local directives that apply to local housing providers. These directives outline processes and policies related to how households access, are referred, and matched to rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units available locally.
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