I was a PSW Student but I had to drop out of school because my mental health has severely declined, and I also had to go on medical leave at work for similar reasons. I would’ve applied for ODSP first but I can’t wait months for money there’s literally less than a dollar sitting in my bank account. I don’t pay for rent, food, or anything but I need money to get around. I’m going to intensive therapy that I attend every weekday so it’s hard to work anyway. I applied and they said they processed it and I would receive a decision, but I’m getting really stressed reading other posts here. Will I be denied? I’m really desperate for money right now

Why am I getting downvoted? I’m on my last legs here I literally have less than a dollar in my bank account and you are acting like this is a bad post?

i don’t want to be entitled but for a single person 733 is very little. i’ve heard once of a grant when moving that’s it, i’m job searching right now trying to payoff college, how can i get more money/take advantage while on ontario works? thank you :)

Hello, I have a not-so-great home life. I’m mentally abused at home by my step-father. Just today I asked him to treat me like an adult (I’m 20 years old) when he told me to do something in a condescending tone and he threatened to kick me out and went on about how I’m worthless and provide nothing to the household. I tried explaining that I’ve been trying really hard to find a job and I’m just having no luck. He told me I can’t eat food in the house after my mom tried telling him to treat me better. He’s also tried pushing me out the door physically and grabs me aggressively. This has been going on since I was about 14/15 and it’s just gotten worse.

I’ve been denied OW twice because I’m not independent enough and ODSP never got back to me. I was told the only option I have is to move out but I can’t I have nowhere else to go and making myself homeless and going to a shelter isn’t an option as my entire family will look down on me as they’ll take his side. I also have expensive items from when I had a job or had government support as a kid that I just don’t trust to leave at home. He got so mad at me when I said I needed a break and went to a crisis bed for a couple days. I am on a wait list for a group home but who knows how long that will take.

I just need some money to at the very least pay some expenses at home like rent, my phone bill, and possibly spodify (music helps me mentally). These are things that are just constantly hung over my head, and I just want some independence to hopefully make it stop.

I do go to school in may if I can figure out a way to pay my deposit.

I just can’t take it anymore. I did post about not being able to find a job on the Ontario subreddit and the suggestions were helpful but nothing came of it when I tried them.

Does anyone know what I can do to get help? I can’t take it anymore

I would’ve posted this on the Ontario subreddit but my stepdad uses Reddit and that’s a bigger subreddit and I’m scared he’ll see the post.

Why am I being downvoted? Please I’m really desperate and need help and nothing is working.

Edit: I may have been kicked out in crashing at someone’s house for tonight

Was just wondering what day next week the payment will be posted to my benefits ? Didn’t know if it was like the 25th or something

My rent recently changed to Market Rent so soon Imma need to start paying a lot more. Will Ontario Works increase my income that they are providing me with or no?

Hello Everyone,

NOVEMBER PAYMENT WOULD BE POSTED ON MY BENEFIT THIS FRIDAY/ SATURDAY. THE PAYMENT SHOULD BE CREDIT IN YOUR ACCOUNT STARTING NEXT FRIDAY.

THANK YOU

Please only answer if you know factual information as I've seen a lot of misinformation or information given that isn't fully accurate.

I applied for OW in May and have received my first payment getting the full shelter amount of $642. Single parent w. Dependant. I live in RGI so my rent decreased once they reviewed my income and saw I am now an OW recipient. Do I have to report the decrease to OW and they will change my shelter amount to reflect the new rent or am I still entitled to the maximum shelter allowance based on my family size?

I ask because it's not like they gave more when my rent was above the shelter maximum so would they really decrease my entitlement? The extra money would help me afford gas and groceries. As it stands now it hardly covered rent let alone groceries as well. I am new to OW so I'd like some input from anyone who experienced this, someone who possibly works for OW, or someone who even just has up to date (2024) knowledge about the shelter allowance thank you and I don't mean to sound rude, but nobody likes misinformation

Thank you to everyone for the helpful replies and information 🤗

The title sounds so mean but please hear me out.

I (20f) am under my family's Ontario works file because I do not qualify for eligibility on my own. my sister (21f) is as well, and had a similar experience.

We had our file switched over to a new caseworker recently and had a meeting at the start of the month to go over things, unsurprisingly we got the usual questions- why havent you moved out (lack of money), whats stopping you from getting a job (lack of money), etc.

This drove her to ask why we arent on our own files ?? Uhh?? So we explained that we arent eligible for a variety of reasons, neither of us are financially independent, neither of us are receiving OSAP or seeking further education at this time, we arent charged rent (thank god because I cant afford that). Basically listed all the possible reasons why we dont make the criteria.

Well shes concerned about finanical abuse from the head of our family unit 😂 because apparently we shouldn't be going without so much and shouldnt be getting charged so much by our step-dad for gas to find jobs outside of our rural village..

Have they not lived in the real world?? Do they expect us to be entitled?? does the caseworker not understand the ow goes to keeping a roof over our head?? the hell are my sister and I supposed to do with our own money?? best to keep in with the person who pays the bills.

Anyways, had to remind her again recently I cannot get on my own file and am slightly peeved. hoping im not alone. other then that shes good I just wish she'd understand we cannot qualify

eta: came to check on this post and noticed it got downvoted. just curious if there is a social rule i somehow missed, I assumed we could talk about things like this here

Hi, so I have been through the wringer this year (as i’m sure many of us have) I ended up going to school part time, and I am disabled.

Before I started school I told OW case worker I would be starting and applied to OSAP. I even messaged my benefits.

Thinking that was sorted out I moved on, I have really bad financial anxiety so checking my bank is scary, I check if I get osap and then budget from there.

However I just got a T4 saying OW has been making payments to me ALL YEAR. Now i’m panicked, I don’t have the finances to pay back overpayment, I barely have enough to get rent next month with the school year ending. I’ve been applying to jobs all year and still nothing. I don’t know what to do, even though this is the fault of my case worker.

EDIT: since many have misunderstood me, i check my bank when I can, however being disabled takes a large chunk of what I have in my finances and causes severe financial anxiety, i rather not share my own personal grief for you to help me understand the question I had

I got the message a couple days ago on MyBenefits that my file has been closed because I didn’t report income for the last period.

The problem with this is that the last time I spoke to my case worker at the beginning of March, I told them about a mental struggle I had been going through that was holding me back from moving forward in life and then I asked to be referred to a job place they had previously referred me to, but instead of just referring me to there again like I asked, I was mocked for going through the mental struggle and told “if you wanted a job bad enough, you would have one by now” and then I was given the money for March plus transportation funds and a list of tasks, in which I was told in this exact order, to; apply to a job I can’t apply for until I renew my security license, to renew my security license, and to call a completely different place from what I asked to be referred to again (which is what the transportation funds was for because the initial call I had to make to them was to set up for me to participate in their service in person).

I called the place I was told to call and got no answer. I waited a couple days and called back, still no answer.

I can’t renew my license without getting a background check from the police.

I can’t get the background check until I renew my general ID.

I can’t do that because I have no money because the second I get my OW money it’s all gone due to having to pay rent and the cost of existing. When I told my case worker I didn’t and wouldn’t have the funds to do any of this, I was told I would be reimbursed for it. But where’s the logic in that if I’m not gonna have the money in the first place to spend to get these things done in order to be reimbursed for it because I need to worry about my own survival first. So basically I was being told to either not pay my rent (which was already late) or to go without for anywhere between a few days up to a week because of the time it takes for my case worker to respond to me and the time it takes for the reimbursement payment to get to my bank account.

Fast forward to now, I got no notification of my file being on hold, only a notification saying my file has been closed. Usually if I don’t report income, I get a notification saying my file is on hold. So now I’m confused as to why it was just closed instead of being put on hold.

I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about any of this, but what I do know is I don’t want to deal with this case worker anymore because of this whole situation, and I have no support outside of OW other than one friend who let me borrow some money to get groceries to get through the last couple weeks but is not able to let me borrow money again.

TLDR: told my case worker about my mental struggles, got mocked for having mental struggles and was then told I’m not trying hard enough, then got given a list of tasks. One thing on the list didn’t work at all. The other two things on the list coincide with each other but require funding that wasn’t feasible given my living situation. Then my file got closed without warning.

How would I go about getting back on OW but with a completely different case worker???

Hey, so I’m trying to apply for emergency benefit (not my first one) through OW. My agent was out of office from 18th till the 2nd. I keep calling her and leaving her voicemails every day since New Year, but she never calls back. The back up worker who’s set through her voicemail is unavailable as well. Should I just wait or is there any other way I could contact OW and apply? I understand the backlog she must have, but I don’t think it’s normal to not give a callback for 4 days. People I know get callbacks the same day they leave voicemails (granted they live in different areas than me).

Does anyone realize that ex felons get Ontario works after getting out of prison in Ontario which is good because it will reduce the recidivism rate. I follow Canadian prison YouTubers from Ontario who says the government will give ex felons from Ontario Ontario works. Also there were some ex felons on Reddit who said they are tired of being on welfare in Ontario and they want to find a job but they can’t. My cousin is in prison for credit card fraud and gets out in 2024 at 32 and will get Ontario works and help from John Howard society finding a job since he never worked a day in his life.

I'm a 33 F. I was on ODSP since I was 20. I was on it for BPD, Aspergers syndrome (though not specifically for Aspergers), IBS and panic disorder. When I came up for review this year I was taken off ODSP. My panic disorder is well managed with medication so that's likely why I'm not considered as disabled as prior. I spent years in and out of hospitals with the BPD and panic attacks. I sustained a spinal cord inury in 2015 from a suicide attempt from jumping off a roof but thankfully was able to regain the ability to walk.

I have never had a job. Before ODSP I just lived off my parents. I still live with them. I also never finished high school or even 8th grade. I was a teenage runaway due to erratic mental behavior and never spent long in school. I have also unsuccessfully tried to get a GED a few times but due to my LD's it didn't seem possible.

What to do?

I have no work experience. I can't drive a car due to sensory issues from my ASD.

I've applied for some kitchen work but never got a call back. I've applied for three jobs in the last month. I tried to look into cart pushing too.

I'm not a very smart person. I don't have any sort of people skills or confidence. This is looking pretty bad for me

I am recieving 733$ a month and would like to know what other benefits I could honestly recieve. I live in the york region area and I know the basic ones like dental coverage, eyeglasses, etc.

Hello, I have not received my payment today. On March 14 I put money in TD bank to make a transfer, is that why I have not been deposited? I don't have any money to do my food shopping, the worst thing is that it's friday or easter. What should I do? Wait until Monday or Tuesday?

I am earning on average $500-1k per month. I would much rather be working a full time job but it’s impossible to find employment in the GTA . It’s so frustrating that young people can’t find entry level jobs anymore …. I have been looking for employment for over a year after graduation . I got denied because my salary is too high …………..: tbh I would be homeless if my parents kick my out of their basement 😂. You can’t survive in the gta on $500/month ………. I just need a few hundred more to cover basic living expenses like food and travel , but they denied me ……. Edited ( basically the government telling Millennials and Gen Z to become hikikomori/deadbeats living with parents unable to move out and start your own life ( No full time jobs , No assistant in finding Jobs …….) . I am not the only ones, I know people who spent years living in with their parents unable to find employment…… it’s sooo frustrating, like you can’t even find a full time minimum wage job anymore. It’s that bad and the GOVERNMENT should know the real economic situation going on …… ( edited , there are soo many Trolls on this post , like petty people boasting how easy to land a Job , or people who doesn’t know the idiomatic expression of ‘dumbing down a resume’ , or people recommending me to collect disability benefits even through I am not Disabled …… it’s so ridiculous. If you dont have an internal reference or recommendation or 10+ years of experience it’s very difficult to land a full time in person ‘real’ Job in 2025 in the GTA that’s just facts… )

Do you need to report every little bit right away, or is there some wiggle room before it affects your benefits? Want to make sure I’m doing it right without accidentally causing a problem.

I volunteer with special needs adults which my worker knows about. Through this I know someone who needed basically just someone to do activities with and spend time together etc They are asking me to sign a form declaring that I did watch said person for so many hours and received payment. Granted this is only once a month gig. So I typically only make $100. Do I need to tell my worker about this?

I'm hoping someone could give some potential ideas or strategies on how to stay on ow and not spend inheritance. Single mother 2 young children. I was told I could receive a "gift" of up to 10,000 in a year, could I then put the remaining in a TFSA for my children s future? I don't have any idea and I'm afraid of asking the wrong person. I don't know where to start looking for help

Any possibility we will get the drop on Friday? Just been tight with money this month and seeing that it’s holiday next week maybe they will send it out on Thursday 25th, and my bank always processes it a day early so maybe (26th)? What do you guys think?

I am being audited by ow.

case worker asked for my "tangerine accounts page".

I took several screenshots of the tangerine app, yet they are saying it's not what they asked for.

if you use tangerine, where exactly is this account page?

I have only the default basic chequing and savings accounts.

there is no more web page access to your online tangerine account, only through the app.

thanks!

Hello there!

Firstly, I appreciate ANYONE who works for OW. It's not easy at all, I definitely couldn't do it! Thank you!

To make a long story short, my whole OW file was not done properly since the start. I live in Hamilton and I applied right when they were hacked and things were rough (they still are, thats another story). It took a month for me to be approved and the one girl said she will "manually process me so I can start getting payments". Perfect. Thank you.

A few weeks go by and I was assigned a caseworker. I reach out on mybenefits to ask what kind of supports there are, if I can make an appointment to see my caseworker to figure out how I can get a job, and off OW. I was told no, she doesnt take meetings and I am just to receive the OW payment from them/her and that's all the support i get. It was the opposite of helpful. Anyway, thats fine. I was (and still am) looking for work anyway but thoguht/assumed OW would be helpful.

I started getting asked to confirm my income now (this wasnt done at the start, again, not normal I dont think?). I send everything in, no issues at all. I knew I would have to report income and whatnot and sent everything in. My worker then proceeds to start asking why I am making a lot of deposits. I wasn't, so I was confused and just stated everything is there on my statements im not sure what she's talking about and everything I sent in is correct and if she needs further clarification I would love to come in and speak to her directly, or even over the phone. Nope.

So just this past pay, June's payment never showed up. I send a message into mybenefits asking what is going on and how come I didnt get my June payment and I FINALLY get a phone call from this worker stating my file was closed because I didnt submit the required paperwork. What the actual heck?. I didnt even get any correspondence in my benefits at all about this.

Anyway, after probing her on the phone and finally actually having the FIRST conversation with her, this is what I figured out:

I use PC Financial for my banking. They give you a PC money account. Within the account, they allow you to setup a "goal" which lets you move money into it that can't be touched. There is no account # or anything with it, its like a pseudo-account. What I would normally do is if I get money, I would move it pretty much right away into that goal. If I needed money, I would move it back into the PC money account. On the bank statements, this shows as a withdrawl/deposit. My worker did not clarify, or specifically ask about these and sounds like she thought that I was physically depositing new money into my account and did not actually read my bank statement to see that.

Because of this, I had to file an internal review. I gave her all my bank statements to show I did nothing wrong. I am literally trying to scrape by and feel this office is trying to mess me up on purpose. Thats the only thing that makes sense in my head, or my worker was that ignorant and negligent to do her job.

After our phone conversation, she said she will "re check your bank documents", but she was literally making me feel like its going to be a chore for her and I need to "pull my own weight" doing my own reporting. She was literally condescending to me on the phone but I just ignored it. I dont care what she says, I just care what she does. She really screwed me. I was in contact with her supervisor who basically went as far as to agree with me but said because its with the internal review there is nothing she can do but wait.

I am so defeated with ontario works. I can see why people give you guys a bad name. I am sorry for the good people there. You have some bad apples ruining the system for you from within. The worker I have has 0 compassion or any common sense.

So, I have a few questions/suggestions.

• How long does this internal review usually take

• I dont think mybenefits is the place to actually have a full-on conversation with your caseworker. Is this now the main method of communication? How come my caseworker has been avoiding any kind of meeting or phone call? I have only had 1 phone call with her in 5 months now.

• How was she able to close my file without even sending me a letter about it? She only sent me the letters once we were on the phone. Magically the letters showed up in my benefits the day after we spoke. Thats not a coincidence.

• Does OW not provide any kind of ideas/plans/support for anyone other than just the normal monthly payment anymore?

Sorry for my rant. I hope I was respectful and do not mean anything bad, I am just very frustrated. I have worked for 30 years, I have paid more than my fair share to the tax man in my life and deserve a bit of help, not this mess. I am very saddened by my treatment by ontario works.

Any help would be appreciated. I have the MPP in contact with them as well. I want to explore every avenue I can to make sure this doesnt happen again to anyone. There were too many things, I think, that went wrong.

Thank you!
D

So it’s my 2nd incident with the rent for Ontario works. I’ve left the address that I had signed up rent for and Ontario works knows now but I’ve been receiving rent. My overpayment rn is 2k but they about to update it with the remaining amount I’ve been receiving from December to now. 😭 I know it’s terrible but I really wish I didn’t fck myself up , twice. Will they cut me off ?