6.6 Exemption from Automated Income Verification
Applicants entering the COHB program may be exempted from Automated Income Verification for their initial benefit calculation where:
- The household has not filed the required income tax return(s) in the previous calendar year; or
- The most recent income tax return(s) does not reflect the household's current financial circumstances.
In this situation, Service Managers will manually calculate and verify household net income and AFNI, as outlined in 6.3 "Adjusted Family Net Income (AFNI)" on page 12.
If information is not available for an initial benefit calculation because a member of the household believes that he or she or any member of the household will be at risk of abuse if the information is obtained, the Service Manager will calculate and verify household net income and AFNI based on the best available information.
During that year of exemption, household members whose income is to be included in the benefit calculation will be required to submit annual income tax returns to the CRA by April 30. Households who were initially exempt will be required to have Automated Income Verification based on their annual notice(s) of assessment going forward.
6.7 First and Last Month's Rent
For applicants approved for the COHB program by MOF, Service Managers may provide funding directly for first and last month's rent, where the applicant has demonstrated to the Service Manager a need to receive the payment. Where Service Managers have a method for determining household need under the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative Program, a similar process should be applied.
The amount of first and last month's rent shall not exceed the lesser of:
- Twice the amount of the actual rent paid by the approved household; or
- Twice the amount of 100 per cent of the CMHC AMR for an appropriately sized rental unit, based on household composition.
MMAH will flow these funds to Service Managers on a quarterly basis retroactively, in accordance with Service Manager quarterly claims.
6.8 In-Year Changes
As indicated on the application form, participants must report any changes in personal information (e.g., household composition, address) as soon as possible to the ServiceOntario Information Centre. Subject to the following, recipients are not required to report an increase in income during the year or undergo a reassessment of the monthly benefit due to an increase in income.
MOF will perform an in-year reassessment of recipient eligibility and/or monthly benefits under the following circumstances:
• A recipient contacts the ServiceOntario Information Centre to request a reassessment due to a significant decrease of at least 20 per cent in household income (limited to one in-year reassessment each year).