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Housing Programs in Canada: What Newcomers Need to Know

  • Stewart Kabede
  • Aug 17
  • 2 min read

Updated: Aug 19

🌍 Why Relocation will always be linked to Real Estate.

When newcomers arrive in Canada, finding safe and affordable housing isn’t just about having a roof over your head — it’s about dignity, stability, and building the foundation for a new life. Yet housing can be one of the toughest challenges to navigate. Programs exist, but they can be scattered across different agencies and levels of government.
Housing Programs in Canada: What Newcomers Need to Know

Housing Programs in Canada: What Newcomers Need to Know


After 30 plus years of community Involvement, 15 years of Real Estate and a lifetime of Leadership/Business Mentoring of Immigrant and Refugee Women... the best and most rewarding part of my job has always been when I have helped a new family settle in.


When newcomers arrive in Canada, finding safe and affordable housing isn’t just about having a roof over your head — it’s about dignity, stability, and building the foundation for a new life.

Yet housing can be one of the toughest challenges to navigate. Programs exist, but they can be scattered across different agencies and levels of government.


Here are the key supports newcomers should know:

🔑 Government Housing Supports

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC): Offers research, affordable housing programs, and rent supplement initiatives.


💡 What Newcomers Should Know

1. Apply early. Housing applications often have waitlists. Start as soon as you arrive.

2. Ask your settlement agency.

They often have direct links to housing programs and landlords who work with newcomers.

3. Know your rights. Tenancy laws protect you from unfair eviction or discrimination. Each province has its own landlord-tenant board.

4. Budget for deposits. Even subsidized rentals often require a first month’s rent or deposit.

👉 The truth is simple: a move without housing or the hope of housing is a displacement, not a relocation.

 For newcomers, housing is not just shelter — it’s the anchor of belonging in Canada.


ONTARIO

Ontario Newcomer Housing Support

 📍 Settlement.Org Housing Services

 📞 416-921-1800

Ontario Housing Help Centres

 📍 Toronto Housing Help Centre – 65 Wellesley St E, Suite 500, Toronto, ON

 📞 416-921-2323

Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA)

 📍 400-489 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1A5

 📞 416-927-9144


Access to Housing – Toronto

 📍 176 Elm St, Toronto, ON

 📞 416-981-6111


BRITISH COLUMBIA

BC Housing – Housing Assistance for Newcomers

 📍 4555 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4V8

 📞 604-433-1711 | Toll-free 1-866-465-6873


Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC)

 📍 2610 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N 4L2

 📞 604-684-2561


MOSAIC Settlement & Housing Support

 📍 5575 Boundary Rd, Vancouver, BC V5R 2P9

 📞 604-254-9626


BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA)

 📍 220-1651 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y3

 📞 604-291-2600

🔑 Canada has no shortage of resources—it’s just that most people don’t know who to call first. Know someone who is relocating?


Finding your way through all these options can be overwhelming. Our team of rental experts can guide you. Find out more information by clicking HERE

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