The numbers

The rent gap

For many people on a fixed income, the money the government provides for shelter falls far short of what an average home actually costs to rent. This page shows that gap, using official numbers — and points to the programs that help close it.

How we measure it

What rent costs:CMHC's 2025 Rental Market Survey average rents by city and bedroom — the standard independent government benchmark.
What support pays: the maximum monthly shelterportion of Ontario Works and ODSP for a single person, from the province's own policy directives.
The gapis simply the average rent minus the shelter support. It describes the shortfall a household on that program faces; it is not a statement about what rent "should" be.

Figures as of June 2026. Amounts are re-indexed periodically — confirm current numbers with each program before relying on them.

Single person on Ontario Works (OW)

Shelter support: $390/mo

Maximum OW shelter allowance, 1 person. ontario.ca — Ontario Works Directive 6.3 · as of June 2026

City	Avg. bachelor (CMHC)	Monthly gap	Avg. 1-bedroom (CMHC)	Monthly gap
London	$950	−$560	$1,169	−$779
Sarnia	$800	−$410	$1,000	−$610
Chatham-Kent	$800	−$410	$990	−$600
Woodstock	$900	−$510	$1,100	−$710
Windsor	$850	−$460	$1,050	−$660
Hamilton	$1,050	−$660	$1,250	−$860
Toronto	$1,400	−$1,010	$1,650	−$1,260
Ottawa	$1,150	−$760	$1,400	−$1,010

See this program and what helps close the gap →

Single person on ODSP (disability)

Shelter support: $599/mo

Maximum ODSP shelter allowance, 1 person. ontario.ca — ODSP Directive 6.2 · as of June 2026

City	Avg. bachelor (CMHC)	Monthly gap	Avg. 1-bedroom (CMHC)	Monthly gap
London	$950	−$351	$1,169	−$570
Sarnia	$800	−$201	$1,000	−$401
Chatham-Kent	$800	−$201	$990	−$391
Woodstock	$900	−$301	$1,100	−$501
Windsor	$850	−$251	$1,050	−$451
Hamilton	$1,050	−$451	$1,250	−$651
Toronto	$1,400	−$801	$1,650	−$1,051
Ottawa	$1,150	−$551	$1,400	−$801

See this program and what helps close the gap →

What helps close the gap

The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, rent supplements, and rent banks all exist to bridge this shortfall. They reach only a fraction of the people who need them — but if you qualify, they make a real difference.

Find help you may qualify for Browse rent supplements

This guide is published by Mithulan Perinpanayagam, CPA, CA, who also co-founds Foundation Capital, a private real-estate firm that operates rental housing. Foundation Capital does not set its rents based on anything on this site. This guide is information only — not financial, legal, tax, or benefits advice, and using it does not create a professional relationship. Always confirm current details with the program administrator through the official link before you rely on them.

Note on coverage: CMHC average rents are shown for cities in the survey. St. Thomas and Ingersoll are not separately surveyed; the nearest surveyed markets (London and Woodstock) are the closest comparison. Scraped current asking rents are deliberately not used as the benchmark here.