Im in Ontario and my family will be joining me later this year. Im looking for housing that can accommodate a family 6 (meaning 4 children who require school , looking for a low income housing in a community where there are mostly English schools and closer to hospitals and amenitie
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Hi there,
Thank you for sharing your question and situation with us. We appreciate your interest in this information.
You may be interested in connecting with housing assistance services in the area you wish to live in. Community agencies that provide housing assistance services will be able to support you in finding suitable accommodation for the short-term and long-term.
Choosing where to live is an important decision. You can explore helpful information and resources to support your decision-making in the Settlement.Org article, Where should I live in Ontario? You may also find helpful information in the Settlement.Org articles, How can I look for rental housing? and How can I apply for subsidized housing?
If you are looking for support or would like information about services near you, you may wish to call 211 and speak with an Information and Referral Specialist. They will be able to provide information about programs, services, and options available in your area. If you would like assistance in a language other than English or French, 211 telephone service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Online chat support is available in English and French from Monday to Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
We hope this information is helpful, please follow up with us if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Your Settlement.Org Team
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Hi Briez, welcome to Ontario!
The Settlement.Org team gave great starting points. A few more practical things that might help specifically for a family of 6 with school-age children:
For low-income housing, applying to your local municipal housing waitlist as early as possible is critical — waitlists in larger cities like Toronto or Ottawa can be very long (sometimes years), but smaller cities like Hamilton, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, or Windsor tend to have shorter waits and more affordable rental stock that can accommodate larger families. These cities also have good school infrastructure and hospitals nearby.
For English schools specifically, all publicly funded English-language schools in Ontario fall under the public school board (e.g. Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Thames Valley in London, Waterloo Region District School Board). You can look up school boundaries by address once you’ve narrowed down a neighbourhood, which helps you pick a street knowing your children are already in a good catchment.
For finding a large enough unit, Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji are where most private landlords in Ontario post rentals — more so than formal listing sites. Searching “4 bedroom” or “5 bedroom” in your target city often surfaces basement apartments and houses that don’t appear elsewhere. Private landlords are also generally more flexible than property management companies for larger families.
One thing worth knowing: in Ontario, a landlord cannot legally refuse to rent to you based on family size or number of children — this is protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code. If you encounter refusals for that reason, you have the right to file a complaint.
Calling 211 as the mod suggested is genuinely useful — they can connect you with local settlement agencies who sometimes know of available units before they’re publicly listed.
Best of luck to you and your family — hope the reunion happens smoothly!