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Rental Assistance Program

The Rental Assistance Program provides eligible low-income, working families with cash assistance to help with their monthly rent payments. 

To qualify, families must have a gross household income of $35,000 or less, have at least one dependent child, and have been employed at some point over the last year. Click the links below for more information:

More families now eligible - Effective April 2008

The Government of British Columbia recently introduced the following enhancements to the Rental Assistance Program:

  • The maximum income level has been increased to $35,000
  • The maximum rent ceiling has been increased
  • The maximum benefit has been increased
  • There is a minimum benefit amount of $50/month or $600/year
  • Families whose youngest children are over 19 may now still qualify for the program, if the child is under 25 and enrolled in full-time attendance at school, university or vocational institution or if the child of any age is acccepted as a dependent for income tax purposed to mental or physical infirmity.
Click here to read the news release . Click here for more information on eligibility criteria or how the rental assistance is calculated .  

The Rental Assistance Program was launched in October 2006 as part of Housing Matters BC, an innovative housing strategy providing an expanded range of housing options to British Columbians who need it most. 

Rental Assistance Program brochure
Click the link below to download a copy of the Rental Assistance Program brochure as a PDF document:

Information available in other languages
Information on the Rental Assistance Program enhancement is currently being translated into a number of different languages. We will post the information online as soon as it is available.

Download the application form
The complete step-by-step instructions on how to apply to the Rental Assistance Program can be found by clicking here . To download the Rental Assistance Program application form, click here.

Who to contact
For more information on the Rental Assistance Program, call BC Housing at 604-433-2218, or 1-800-257-7756 outside the Lower Mainland. Email inquiries can be sent to Applicantinquiries@bchousing.org