OMRA provides rent subsidies to resettled refugees who have recently arrived in Canada. Subsidy recipients are identified through referrals by private sponsorship groups and by the Catholic Centre for Immigrants or other refugee settlement agencies. (We do not accept applications for subsidies from this web site.)
To qualify for an OMRA subsidy, an individual or family must:
- Be former refugees who have acquired resettled refugee status
- Have been in Canada for less than two years
- Be living on an insufficient budget
- Be committed to learning English or French by attending full-time language classes and/or obtaining employment as soon as possible
- Be referred to OMRA by a private sponsorship group or a refugee settlement agency. OMRA does not take personal referrals.
Our rent subsidies last from one to four years. In each case, we determine the subsidy amount by considering the needs and circumstances of the recipients. The subsidy amount gradually decreases over the course of the subsidy as recipients become more independent. We prioritize individuals and small families, since these groups have the most financial hardship in light of low housing assistance rates and the current severe shortage of affordable rental properties.
OMRA volunteers visit subsidy recipients periodically to keep in touch, but OMRA does not provide ongoing settlement support.
OMRA 