Basic Needs and Social Supports


Food, clothing and shelter are basic needs necessary to survival. Social programs help people to meet these needs, especially during times of personal hardship, by providing financial and employment assistance, material goods, emergency shelter and affordable housing. Additional social supports such as public education, skills training and advocacy help people to build better lives for themselves and their families.

See also Information Services.

Adult Literacy and Basic Skills
Advocacy and Social Action for Indigenous Peoples
Affordable Housing
Budget and Credit Counselling
Clothing and Household Items
Community Colleges and Universities
Community Food Programs
Community Meals
Continuing Education
Counselling - Family, Couple, Individual
Drop-In Centres for Adults
Drop-In Centres for Youth
Emergency Shelters for Adults
Emergency Shelters for Adults with Children
Emergency Shelters for Youth
Employment Assistance
Employment Assistance for Indigenous Peoples
Employment Assistance for People with Disabilities
Employment Assistance for Youth
Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance for Children and Families
Financial Assistance for People with Disabilities
Financial Assistance for Rent and Utilities
Financial Assistance for Seniors
Food Banks
Gender-Based Violence Shelters
Housing Referral and Rights
Immigrant, Newcomer, and Refugee Services
Life Skills
Personal Identification Assistance Programs
Public Transportation
Schools
Sharing Shops and Thrift Stores
Social Action Groups
Street Outreach
Transitional Housing
Vocational and Skills Training
Volunteer Referral Services


COVID-19 Information

Coronavirus (COVID-19)



For the most current information visit the Ministry of Health's Coronavirus (COVID-19) website.

Contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or your local public health unit if you’re experiencing symptoms of the 2019 novel coronavirus.

Do not call 911 unless it is an emergency.

Ministry of Health's online self-assessment tool is available.


Medicine Wheel Rehabilitative Care Alliance Ontario Link to Behaviour Change in Older Adults