Canada-BC Housing Benefit (CBCHB)

Provides financial assistance to marginalized groups with low incomes to help with their monthly rent payments. Recipients do not qualify for other BC Housing rental assistance programs and pay more than 30 percent of their gross monthly income towards rent. Priority groups may include people experiencing or at risk of homelessness; women and children experiencing or at risk of domestic violence; Indigenous peoples; people with disabilities; people dealing with mental health and addiction issues; veterans; racialized communities; youth leaving care; large families requiring four or more bedrooms; households requiring wheelchair modified/accessible accommodation; or other households on the waitlist for subsidized housing whose housing need cannot be met by the existing stock, as identified by BC Housing. Service providers identify applicants from a priority group, and the applicant is invited by the provider to complete an application. The completed application is submitted to the provider who reviews the application, approves if eligibility is met, and enters the applicant's information into BC Housing's database. If the applicant is approved, the provider sets up direct deposit of the housing benefit to the recipient or to the landlord. Nonprofit housing providers identify and select eligible applicants. In some cases, BC Housing will select eligible applicants from the Housing Registry. There is no direct application process to this program. Applicant households must live in British Columbia and each member of the core household must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, a refugee sponsored by the Government of Canada, or an individual who has applied for refugee status. Recipient cannot be under private sponsorship.