Special Priority

The selection of applicants from the waiting list is chronological - when a housing provider has a vacancy, they contact the next applicant on their waiting list.

The exception to the first-come, first-served waiting list system is for Special Priority applicants who are housed on a priority basis.

Who qualifies for Special Priority?

The City of Toronto rules give priority to the following categories:

• The first priority is for victims of abuse (Special Priority Household Category).  All housing providers are required by the Housing Services Act (HSA) to give priority to victims of abuse.



• The second priority is for the terminally ill - reserved for applicants who have less than two years to live.  Recognizing this priority is optional for housing providers.



• The third priority is for over-housed tenants in rent-geared-to-income housing.  Tenants who are housed in a unit that is larger than the unit they qualify for under the provincial occupancy standards are required to move to a unit size they qualify for.

In addition, the City of Toronto's local access rules ensure that individuals who are disadvantaged by a chronological system under the following categories will fill one in seven rent-geared-to-income vacancies:

• homeless
  
• separated families
  
• newcomers who are homeless
  
• youth who are 16 or 17 years old at the time of applying