Official training resource of EmergencyHousing.CA · Ontario · Offered at no charge

Case-manager toolkit

Screeners, rent math, clinics, checklists

Educational orientation tools for use with a person — not on them. They do not file applications, bind a ministry, or replace consent.

Benefit, SPP, HSA priority, and housing-need screeners

OW / ODSP orientation

Educational only. This is not a determination of eligibility. Only the delivery agent or the Disability Adjudication Unit can decide a claim.

Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (orientation)

Service managers allocate COHB. This screener does not apply on their behalf.

Disability Tax Credit (T2201) orientation

Not tax advice. CRA decides DTC. A medical practitioner completes T2201.

Canada Dental Care Plan orientation

Eligibility is decided by the Government of Canada. This is a conversation prompt.

Social Benefits Tribunal — deadline check

Not legal advice. Diary the letter in front of you; do not rely on this page for a limitation period.

Special Priority Policy (SPP) prescreen

Educational only. The service manager decides SPP. Do not demand a police report. Do not contact the alleged abuser.

Housing Services Act priority verification

Educational orientation to published categories. Inventing a priority to jump a queue is an ethical breach.

Housing-need conversation (SPDAT-literate)

Not a SPDAT and not a score. SPDAT-family tools are proprietary and have been criticized for bias. This conversation never ranks human worth.

RDSP orientation

Not financial advice. An RDSP is a long-term savings plan. Housing First does not wait for it. Eligibility follows the Disability Tax Credit.

Duty to report (child protection) orientation

Educational. If you have reasonable grounds to suspect a child is in need of protection, you report. Housing work does not waive that duty. This is not legal advice.

Eviction-prevention triage

Educational. The date on a notice is not a lock-change. Confirm amounts with the person — landlords overstate.

16- and 17-year-old housing orientation

Educational. Age is a Code ground in housing. Poverty is not, by itself, a child-protection file. You may gather facts; you may not hold out as counsel.

Immigration and housing doors

Not immigration advice. Status is a housing fact and a Code ground (citizenship, place of origin, ethnic origin). A missing PR card is not a reason to delay keys.

RTA notice decoder

N4 — Non-payment of rent

Landlord may apply to the LTB after the termination date if rent remains unpaid. The date on the notice is not a lock-change.

Do the arrears math the same day. Rent bank, discretionary benefits, repayment only if it can be kept. Clinic if an L1 is filed.

N5 — Substantial interference, damage, overcrowding

Often voidable if the conduct stops in time. Used against noise, guests, and families.

Separate IPV and disability from ‘behaviour.’ Document. Do not concede overcrowding that is actually family status.

N6 — Illegal act

Serious allegations. Not a self-help eviction.

Do not discuss charges with the landlord. Refer legally. Keep the tenancy plan unless a Board order says otherwise.

N7 — Impairment of safety

Expedited path. Still a Board process.

Same-day legal referral. Do not interpret this as an immediate lockout.

N8 — Persistent late payment

Pattern of late rent, even if currently paid.

Fix the payment path (direct, benefit timing). A portable benefit can stop the pattern.

N12 — Own use / purchaser’s use

Must be in good faith. Compensation rules apply in many cases.

Bad-faith N12s are a clinic file. Do not tell the person to leave on the notice date.

N13 — Demolition, conversion, repair

Specific statutory path; right of return may exist after repair.

Renoviction pattern — get a clinic involved. Document the building.

Field checklists

Identification replacement

Missing ID blocks income, health, and a lease. Start with what they have. Do not wait for a complete wallet before you house.

Any photo ID still in hand (even expired) — photocopy with consent Ontario health card — ServiceOntario; use a care-of address Birth certificate — ServiceOntario; fee waiver where destitute Social Insurance Number — Service Canada; needed for some income, not for a tenancy Status card, PR card, or immigration paper — IRCC / band office as applicable Banking or Direct Deposit — OW/ODSP can issue to a reloadable card while ID is pending Care-of mail: office, shelter, or a trusted person — never an abuser’s address

Encampment outreach

People living outside are unsheltered. A sweep without keys is displacement. You are a guest.

Go in pairs after dark; tell a colleague where you are Announce yourself; ask if it is a good time; do not step on someone’s tarp Carry naloxone; offer water, wound care, and a housing conversation Pets, partners, and chosen family are the household — redesign the offer, do not close the file Do not publish the exact location in notes a by-law officer can read Heat, freeze, and flood are housing emergencies — same-day motel or centre is harm reduction By-Name List, SPP, COHB, and a viewing can start from a tent

Extreme weather

Weather is a housing emergency. Treatment is not a condition of a cooling or warming centre.

Check Environment Canada; heat and cold alerts change the same-day plan Water, shade, cooling centre, or warming centre — then the housing file Medication that cannot overheat or freeze; insulin, methadone, inhalers Same-day motel if centres are full or unsafe for this person Follow up the next business day — a centre is not a discharge

Safety planning (IPV)

The person writes the plan. You do not. Special Priority Policy is offered, never forced. 911 is their call unless a child is in need of protection.

Speak in private — not in the hallway, not with the partner translating A code word or safe phrase they choose Copies of ID, immigration paper, and bank cards in a place the partner cannot reach A leave bag only if they want one; packing can escalate Shared phones, find-my-phone, and joint accounts — assume they are watched SPP explained in their words; they decide whether to apply Do not offer a unit in the abuser’s building or neighbourhood as a success

First housing conversation

You are gathering what the household needs to be housed — not whether they deserve it.

The name they want on the file, and who must never be told they were here Where they slept last night, and whether it is safe to return Who is in the household — pets, partners, adult children, chosen family Income this month and what can start this week (OW, ODSP, CCB, earnings) What would make a unit actually work (stairs, location, quiet, support) Housing is a human right. Treatment is offered. It is never a condition of keys.

Unit viewing and offer

An offer is not a success if the household cannot live there. Decline and redesign. Do not score the person for saying no.

Who goes to the viewing — the household, not only you Stairs, elevator, doorway width, bathroom, noise, and proximity to the abuser’s building Whose name will be on the lease; 16/17 and Code age; pets as household First and last, key deposit, hydro setup, and which discretionary benefit covers which line Landlord introduction in writing; do not disclose diagnosis, immigration status, or SPP If they say no: record the reason, keep the file open, find another unit the same week Keys in hand is the start of aftercare, not the close of the file

Tenancy aftercare (first 90 days)

Housing First does not end at keys. The first ninety days are when most new tenancies fail — and when they can be saved.

Week 1: utilities, mailbox, neighbours, how to reach you, and a food plan Rent path that actually fires (direct from OW/ODSP, calendar, trustee only if they choose it) A named landlord contact and a plan before an N4, not after Pharmacy, clinic, and harm-reduction supplies in the new neighbourhood Who may have a key; who must never know the address Day 30: arrears check, relationship with landlord, isolation, overdose risk in a private unit Day 90: recertify income, COHB/RGI paper, and whether intensity should rise or fall

Case-note quality

Write as if the person, a coroner, and a lawyer will read it. Facts, offers, choices, and the next date. Not character.

Name the person as they asked to be named. Not “the client was non-compliant.” What was offered, in their words if possible, and what they chose Who was in the room. A partner translating is a safety fact, not a convenience The next date you will act — a diary, not a hope Do not publish an encampment pin, a VAW address, or a new unit an abuser can read Leave diagnosis, morality, and “housing ready” out. Record function and need.

Illegal lockout / self-help eviction

A landlord cannot change the locks, seize belongings, or shut off heat to end a tenancy. That is not an LTB shortcut. It is unlawful.

Are they safe tonight — motel, VAW, trusted person, not the hallway This is still a tenancy until a Board order or a lawful termination. Say that out loud. Same-day clinic or LTB after-hours / emergency filing path (T2, police for breach of the peace only if they want it) Photos of the door, texts, a neighbour’s name, what was inside Belongings are not abandoned because a lock changed. Do not tell them to “start over.” No heat, hydro, or water is an emergency — by-law and T6/T2, not a lecture about the bill

OW / ODSP discretionary benefits that serve a tenancy

Discretionary benefits are not a favour. Ask for the line that keeps keys in the door. Participation rules are not a humiliation licence.

Last month’s rent and first month if that is what the lease requires Rental arrears that will actually stop an L1 — not a promise the household cannot keep Community start-up: beds, a fridge, a transit pass, ID fees Storage or moving if a lockout or a fire put belongings at risk Medical travel, diabetic supplies, or dental that keeps a person housed Get the request and the decision in writing. Diary internal review.

16- and 17-year-olds in housing

Age is a Code ground in housing, with a surviving exception the provider must justify. A 16-year-old can hold a tenancy. Poverty is not, by itself, a protection file.

Speak without the parent if the young person asks — and if safety requires it A lease can be in their name; “we do not rent to minors” is often a Code issue OW for 16/17 away from parents has a specific path — do not invent a guardian Duty to report is about harm, not about homelessness. Do not threaten CAS to force a shelter stay. School, ID, and a care-of address so the file can move Chosen family, partners, and pets are the household if that is who they will live with

LTB form picker

N4 (notice) then L1 if they apply

Landlord served a notice for unpaid rent

Arrears math the same day. Rent bank, OW/ODSP discretionary, repayment only if it can be kept. The date on the N4 is not a lock-change.

LTB forms

N12; compensation rules; bad-faith claims if they re-rent

Landlord or purchaser says they need the unit for their own use

Diary the date. Compensation may be owed. A clinic if an L2 is filed. Do not accept a cash-for-keys story without advice.

LTB forms

N5 (often voidable if conduct stops)

Notice about interference, damage, or overcrowding

Separate IPV and disability from ‘behaviour.’ Overcrowding that is family status is a Code issue.

LTB forms

T2 — Application about tenant rights

Landlord interference, illegal entry, harassment, or withheld services

Document dates. A clinic can file. Human rights in housing can run beside the LTB.

LTB forms

T6 — Maintenance

Repair, heat, mould, pests, or maintenance the landlord will not do

Photos, work orders, by-law if it is safety. Do not withhold rent as a tactic without advice.

LTB forms

L1 — you will get a Notice of Hearing

Landlord has applied to the Board for unpaid rent

File a dispute if the amount is wrong. Bring proof of payment. Same-week clinic.

LTB forms

L2 — Notice of Hearing will follow

Landlord has applied for a reason other than unpaid rent (own-use, conduct, demolition)

Same-week clinic. Do not move out on the landlord’s timeline. Compensation and bad-faith remedies may exist.

LTB forms

T1 — Tenant application for a rebate

Landlord collected an illegal charge or did not pay required compensation

Key money, extra deposits, and some N12 compensation failures. A clinic can quantify.

LTB forms

Human Rights Code grounds

The Code has primacy. Mark every ground that may be in play.

Race Ancestry Place of origin Colour Ethnic origin Citizenship Creed Sex Sexual orientation Gender identity Gender expression Age (16/17 in housing with a surviving exception) Marital status Family status Disability (including mental health and addiction) Receipt of public assistance (housing) Record of offences (employment)

Rent math

Crisis first moves

Suicide risk or a wish to die

First. Stay with the person if it is safe. 911 if there is imminent danger. 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline if they will use a phone.

Housing work continues. A psychiatric hold is not a discharge from the housing file. Do not make treatment a condition of keys.

Overdose

First. 911. Naloxone. Rescue breaths if you are trained. Second dose if they do not respond. Recovery position. Stay — naloxone can wear off.

Aftercare in the tenancy. A private unit can be a higher overdose-risk setting than a shelter. Harm reduction in the home is Housing First.

Intimate partner violence in the room or on the file

First. Speak in private. They write the safety plan. 911 is their call unless a child is in need of protection. Do not contact the alleged abuser.

SPP if they want it. Do not offer a unit in the abuser’s building. Assaulted Women’s Helpline and a clinic for family and housing law.

Locks changed, belongings seized, heat cut

First. Safe sleep tonight. This is still a tenancy until a Board order. Same-day clinic. Photos. Do not tell them to leave quietly.

T2, by-law for heat, police only if they want a breach-of-the-peace response. Belongings are not abandoned.

Heat, freeze, or flood and nowhere indoor

First. Water, shade, warming or cooling centre, or a same-day motel. Then the housing file.

A centre is not a discharge. Follow up the next business day. Weather is a housing emergency.

LTB or SBT hearing this week

First. Clinic or duty counsel. Print what you have. Do not skip the hearing because the person is ashamed of the arrears.

A missed hearing can become an order. Keep housing work running in parallel — a hearing is not a reason to freeze the file.

Deadline diary

Letter drafts

SPP professional support letter (draft)

I am writing in my professional capacity in support of a Special Priority Policy application.

I have met with [name] on [dates]. They have described a need to separate permanently from [relationship — do not name the alleged abuser in a file the abuser could obtain] because of abuse / trafficking / a real fear of harm.

Current or recent housing is tied to that person. A unit in the same building or neighbourhood would not be safe.

I am not asking the service manager to take my word over theirs. This letter is offered as professional observation of what they have chosen to disclose, consistent with O. Reg. 367/11. A police report is not required.

I am available to confirm that I wrote this letter. I am not available to discuss the alleged abuser.

[Name, designation, organisation, phone, date]

Landlord introduction (draft)

Thank you for considering a tenancy for [name].

I am a housing-based case manager with [organisation]. I can be a named contact for rent questions and for arranging viewings. I do not supervise the household and I do not report on their private life.

Income this month: [source and amount]. A portable benefit / last month’s rent / a rent bank payment [is in process / can be requested] if that is what the lease requires.

Please send the draft lease and the move-in costs in writing.

[Name, designation, organisation, phone, date]

Do not include: diagnosis, immigration status, Special Priority, child protection, or “the client is housing ready.”

Rent-bank / prevention cover note (draft)

I am requesting eviction-prevention funds for [name] at [address, unit].

Monthly rent: $[amount]. Income this month: $[amount] from [source]. Arrears as of [date]: $[amount] (ledger attached / to be confirmed). An N4 / L1 [has / has not] been served.

A one-time payment of $[amount] would bring the ledger to zero or to a plan the household can keep after paying this month’s rent. They intend to remain. Treatment or sobriety is not a condition of this request.

[Name, designation, organisation, phone, date]

OW / ODSP discretionary request (draft)

Please consider a discretionary benefit for [name], member [number if known].

The amount requested is $[amount] for [last month’s rent / arrears that stop an L1 / community start-up / ID / medical travel].

This expenditure serves a tenancy. Housing First does not wait for a later grant. I have attached the lease / N4 / quote.

Please confirm the decision in writing. We will diary internal review if the request is refused.

[Name, designation, organisation, phone, date]

Phone scripts

Landlord — arrears, keep the tenancy

I am calling with the tenant’s consent about unit [n]. I am a housing-based case manager, not their keeper.
We would like the current ledger in writing, including what you say is owed and through which date.
We are arranging [rent bank / discretionary / a payment date]. Please do not change the locks. An N4 is not a lock-change.
I can be a named contact for rent. I will not discuss health, guests, or anything that is not the rent.

OW / ODSP worker — discretionary that serves keys

I am calling with consent about member [name / number]. There is a tenancy at risk this month.
The request is $[amount] for [last month / arrears / start-up]. It is the line that keeps keys in the door.
Please tell me what paper you need today, and please put the decision in writing.
If it is refused we will request internal review. Housing First does not wait for a later grant.

Legal clinic intake

I am a case manager calling with consent. This is a housing matter: [N4 / L1 / lockout / N12 / human rights].
The person is [housed / unsheltered / in shelter] tonight. The next date on paper is [date].
They [do / do not] want to speak to duty counsel themselves. I can gather facts. I will not hold out as counsel.
What is your catchment and the fastest door for a hearing this week?

Coordinated access / By-Name List

I am updating the By-Name List with consent for [name]. Household is [size, including pets if that is the household].
They slept last night [where]. It [is / is not] safe to return.
Priorities in play may include [SPP / Indigenous / youth / accessibility / chronic or episodic homelessness]. I am not inventing a category.
They will [attend a viewing / not attend without a support person / need a unit without stairs]. An available unit in the abuser’s neighbourhood is the wrong unit.

Community legal clinics

Catchment clinics change. Call before you send someone across a district. You may gather facts; you may not hold out as counsel.

Province-wide

Screeners, rent math, clinics, checklists

Benefit, SPP, HSA priority, and housing-need screeners

RTA notice decoder

N4 — Non-payment of rent

N5 — Substantial interference, damage, overcrowding

N6 — Illegal act

N7 — Impairment of safety

N8 — Persistent late payment

N12 — Own use / purchaser’s use

N13 — Demolition, conversion, repair

Field checklists

LTB form picker

Landlord served a notice for unpaid rent

Landlord or purchaser says they need the unit for their own use

Notice about interference, damage, or overcrowding

Landlord interference, illegal entry, harassment, or withheld services

Repair, heat, mould, pests, or maintenance the landlord will not do

Landlord has applied to the Board for unpaid rent

Landlord has applied for a reason other than unpaid rent (own-use, conduct, demolition)

Landlord collected an illegal charge or did not pay required compensation

Human Rights Code grounds

Rent math

Crisis first moves

Suicide risk or a wish to die

Overdose

Intimate partner violence in the room or on the file

Locks changed, belongings seized, heat cut

Heat, freeze, or flood and nowhere indoor

LTB or SBT hearing this week

Deadline diary

Letter drafts

SPP professional support letter (draft)

Landlord introduction (draft)

Rent-bank / prevention cover note (draft)

OW / ODSP discretionary request (draft)

Phone scripts

Landlord — arrears, keep the tenancy

OW / ODSP worker — discretionary that serves keys

Legal clinic intake

Coordinated access / By-Name List

Community legal clinics

Naloxone administration drill