Social housing waitlist

The number of households on the waitlist for rent-geared-to-income housing was 6,110 in December 2022, up 7% from December 2021, but down from the 2020 peak of 6,647. There were 1,082 households who received housing in 2022, double the 2021 total, when 542 households received housing. This results primarily from an increased number of portable housing benefits from the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit.

The average wait varies by area of the city and type of housing requested. For single- family homes and one-bedroom apartments, the wait can be over eight years. For bachelor units or units for seniors, the wait can be under one year.

Source:  City of Hamilton, Housing and Homelessness Dashboard.