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Rent Assistance Benefit

Rent Assistance Benefits are funds paid directly to Rocky View Foundation subsidy recipients to help make their rent with a private landlord more affordable.

 

Monthly rent supplement programs are available to help Albertans in need to afford their rent. Government subsidizes affordable housing programs, while local housing providers are responsible for managing the program and selecting tenants.

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The rent supplement program provides a subsidy to help make rental accommodation more affordable for individuals and families. See below for the available rent supplement benefits Rocky View Foundation has to offer.

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Under the Canada-Alberta Housing Benefit, the Governments of Canada and Alberta jointly provide funding for the Rent Supplement Program. This initiative is part of the National Housing Strategy. To learn more about how the province and the federal government support affordable housing in Alberta, see Canada-Alberta Affordable Housing Agreements.

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This long-term benefit subsidizes rent for Albertans with low income.

Benefit features

  • Funds paid directly to tenants,

  • Available through select housing management bodies across Alberta,

  • Amount is based upon household income and local market rents,

  • Households are prioritized based on need,

  • Renewed annually for ongoing eligibility.

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Please note: Benefits are provided after an application has been submitted and approved.
Program funding is limited – not all qualified applicants can be approved.

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  • Who is not Eligible?
    Anyone is eligible if they meet the above criteria, however, the below types of housing are not suitable for the rent assistance benefit: Hotels, motels, and vacation rental by owner (VRBO) arrangements. Illegal basement/secondary suites. Owned mobile homes requesting supplement for the rent of the pad. Shared living accommodations with the landlord. Housing owned by the applicant. You are not eligible for RAB if you are living in community housing.
  • When will I get the benefit?
    RAB will be offered on a point-based scoring system. Rocky View Foundation will offer benefits to applicants with the highest point score in the community they are applying for as funding is available.
  • What is RAB?
    Rent Assistance Benefit (RAB) is the new name of the program currently known as the Direct Rent Supplement (DRS) program. It is designed for households in core housing need who have low incomes and ongoing need. All RAB recipients must sign an agreement with the HMB before receiving the benefit.
  • What if my mailing address, email, or phone number changes? What if there is a change in the composition of my household (move in or move out)?
    Please notify Rocky View Foundation of any changes as soon as possible as it may affect the amount of your benefit.
  • What does receiving RAB mean?
    Your eligibility will be assessed every year. If you remain eligible and funding is available, you will continue to receive the benefit. There is no limit to number of times your RAB agreement can be renewed, subject to funding availability.
  • Who is my landlord?
    Your landlord will be the individual or organization with whom you have a tenancy agreement. Rocky View Foundation is not the landlord. Your agreement with Rocky View Foundation is just for the rental assistance benefit.
  • Who is Eligible?
    You must meet all eligibility criteria under the Social Housing Accommodation Regulation. This means you must: Be in core housing need. Have a total asset value of $25,000 or less. Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident (except for those who are under a private sponsorship arrangement), convention refugee, an individual who has applied for refugee or immigration status and private sponsorship has broken down. Recipients must also live in eligible housing to receive the benefit. Eligible housing is a self-contained, rented home. This means the home has its own kitchen and bathroom and is not shared with the landlord. A recipient could live in: A basement suite or secondary suite as long as it has been approved by the municipality in which it is located. Co-operatives with a written co-operative agreement. Mobile home where the tenant is renting both the mobile home and the pad with a written tenancy agreement. Detached housing, row/townhouse, duplex or triplex, or apartments or condos with a written tenancy agreement.
  • How much is RAB?
    The benefit amount is the difference between what would be affordable rent (30 per cent of the recipient’s total household income or the private housing core shelter rates) and the market rent for the unit, up to the maximum supplement amounts. Just like with DRS, the maximum rent assistance benefits are based off of the number of bedrooms the household requires.
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