Income Security Administrative Procedures

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09.01 – Housing assistance

 

HOUSING ALLOWANCE PROGRAM OF THE SOCIÉTÉ D’HABITATION DU QUÉBEC (SHQ)

 

This program is administered by the Ministère du Revenu du Québec (MRQ).

 

  1. Eligibility

 

The program is intended to provide housing assistance:

 

  • for families (low-income workers or beneficiaries of last resort financial assistance) with at least one dependent child (child under 18 years of age OR 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER WHO IS IN SCHOOL FULL TIME);

 

  • single people aged 51 or older, or childless couples where at least one spouse is 51 or older (a reduction to 50 years of age to qualify will take effect October 1st, 2015).  

 

This program is intended for homeowners, tenants, roomers or anyone who shares a dwelling. 

 

 

The following people are not eligible for the program:

 

  • those who live in low-rental housing, a hospital or reception centre;
  • those who receive a rent supplement or other government housing subsidy;
  • those whose property and assets (including property and assets of the spouse) exceed $50,000 (excluding the value of the residence, land, furniture and car).

 

  1. Filing an application

 

New applicants who want to make an application under the program must:

 

  • telephone the MRQ to make an application (the telephone numbers are listed in the SHQ leaflet); applicants must identify themselves as beneficiaries of the employment-assistance program. The MRQ will forward them a form:
  • complete the form, attach the required documents and return them to the MRQ.

 

  1. Processing an application

 

After assessing the application, the MRQ sends the applicant notice of whether he or she is eligible. For applicants who are eligible, this notice will indicate the amount of housing allowance to which they are entitled.

Eligible applicants will be entitled to the housing allowance effective the first day of the month after they requested a form from the MRQ if they fulfill all the eligibility conditions of the program. Applicants have 45 days from the date of the application to return the form and documents requested. If they do not fulfill all the conditions, they will be entitled to the allowance effective the first day of the month after they return the form and documents.

 

  1. Income, rent, family situation

 

The factors taken into consideration in calculating the allowance are:

 

  • income during the previous year (based on the Quebec income tax return);
  • October rent, with a few exceptions;
  • the circumstances considered are what prevailed at the time the application was made in the case of a new application, when the situation was reviewed during the course of the year, or at the time of the annual re-evaluation.

 

Particularity: Families with a dependent child eighteen years of age or older who is in school full time are eligible regardless of the type of school the child is attending.

 

  1. Information regarding payment

 

  • Persons must be eligible for at least $10 per year in order to receive an allowance;

 

  • Persons entitled to $10 or more per year will receive monthly payments of at least $10 each;

 

For example, the MRQ has calculated an annual Housing Allowance of $36. There will be 2 payments of $10 and one of $16.

 

  • The Housing Allowance can be paid by cheque on the first day of the month or be deposited automatically in the person’s account on the same day;

 

  • The maximum monthly Housing Allowance is $80 for families and for people aged 55 or older for the year 1999-2000.

 

  1. Review during the year

 

In general, the MRQ does not review the housing allowance calculation during the year. Any changes are taken into consideration during the annual re-evaluation, except in the following cases:

 

  • new information concerning the previous year’s income is sent to the MRQ;
  • the applicant dies during the year or is housed in a hospital centre:

 

  • the housing allowance continues to be paid to the applicant’s spouse until September 30;
  • if the beneficiary does not have a spouse, payment ceases effective the month following the death;

 

  • the couple separate during the year (payment is suspended, the applicant must request a review of his or her file and the spouse may file an application). If, during the same year, the applicant resumes living with his or her spouse, the MRQ will not review the new situation;
  • the beneficiary must move on the recommendation of a health professional.

 

     NOTE: If the person moves into subsidized housing, or into a reception centre, the MRQ ceases payment of the housing allowance.

 

  1. Annual re-evaluation

 

The housing allowance is re-evaluated once a year. Each year of the program begins on OCTOBER 1 and ends on September 30 of the following year.

Between July and September of each year, the MRQ sends the re-evaluation form to the people who are already receiving the housing allowance. They have 45 days to return the forms and documents requested. If they fail to return them within this period of time, the MRQ stops the payments and the beneficiaries must re-apply.

 

SUBSIDIZED HOUSING

 

Beneficiaries who qualify for the various subsidized housing programs cannot always be identified in the lease because the lease in question here is a conventional lease. However, the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) requested its representatives, i.e. the municipal housing organizations, the housing co-operatives and non-profit housing organizations, to affix a stamp on each of their leases and appendices regarding subsidized housing according to the supplement program to private leases. The SHQ corporate logo appears on this stamp with the following sentence: “this housing is subsidized as part of the lease supplement program”.

 

  • SUBSIDIZED PRIVATE housing: This SHQ program offers low-income families, who spend more than 25% of their income on rent, housing available on the private rental market. Applications for this subsidy are available from local housing authorities. The subsidy is paid to owners. The amount that the tenant pays for housing is equivalent to the cost of low rental housing.
  • HOUSING CO-OPERATIVES subsidized by the SHQ: This program enables households who spend more than 25% of their income on rent to live in a non-profit housing co-operative where the supply of low-rental housing cannot meet the demand. Last resort financial assistance is granted to co-op residents.