Help with housing, legal, employment, disabilities and other challenges

in

 

The resources below can provide a lot of help. See also the crisis and help lines listed in Help in School.

Why does Student Finance 101 blend poverty, legal aid and tenant’s resources in this section? Because they often cross over.

One advantage to this crossover is that one can usually help you find the other when you haven’t located the service you need in your region.

BC

Legal Services Society (LSS) provides legal aid in BC. This includes legal advice, legal information and access to a lawyer.

http://www.lss.bc.ca/

 

Povnet is an online resource created by an amalgamation of community organizations, many based in Vancouver or BC.  However, it offers a wide array of information about community organizations and poverty-related resources in Canada, as well as BC.

http://www.povnet.org/

 

Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC) promotes tenant rights in BC.

http://www.tenants.bc.ca/

 

BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) combines lobbying, public awareness and advocacy work. BCCPD makes a good 'first stop' for people with disabilities, with resources covering a wide range of needs.

http://www.bccpd.bc.ca/

 

Coast Mental Health is a resource for people coping with mental illness, including depression or anxiety. Coast offers help with housing, jobs, food, and other practical needs.

http://coastmentalhealth.com/

 

Community Living BC (CLBC) offers support services to people with developmental disabilities as well as special-needs children and their families. 

http://www.communitylivingbc.ca/

 

Mainstream Association of Proactive Community Living (MAPCL) ranges from
career and lifeskills services to residential support. MAPCL serves people with developmental disabilities in BC's Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

http://www.mapcl.org/index.html

 

 

Alberta

This landlord and tenant's website is provided by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation and Legal Resource Centre of Alberta:

http://www.landlordandtenant.org/becomingtenantfacts/default.aspx

 

The Legal Resource Centre of Alberta is a good starting place for legal help:

http://www.legalresourcecentre.ca/

 

Povnet: Alberta resources (community services)

http://www.povnet.org/regional/alberta

Ontario

The Advocacy Centre for Tenants in Ontario offers information in both French and English:

http://www.acto.ca

 

Here is a Toronto tenant's organization: The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations

http://www.torontotenants.org/

 

Ontario Tenants has lots of updated links, including contacts throughout Ontario:

http://www.ontariotenants.ca/index.phtml

 

Paralegal Advice has lots of tenant links also:

http://www.paralegaladvice.com/tenants/tenants.htm

 

Povnet: Ontario resources (community services)

http://www.povnet.org/regional/ontario

Quebec

Front d'action populaire en reamenagement urbain
(Urban Redevelopment Action (tenant and poverty issues). This site may be slow-loading.

http://www.frapru.qc.ca/

 

People's Potato

The People's Potato is a vegan soup kitchen begun in Concordia University to help address student poverty.

http://peoplespotato.blogspot.com/

 

Povnet: Quebec region (community services)

http://www.povnet.org/regional/quebec

 

Regroupement des Comités Logement et Associations de Locataires du Québec (Association of Housing Committees and Tenants' Associations)

http://www.rclalq.qc.ca/

Nova Scotia

Dalhousie Legal Aid Service (DLAS) no longer seems to have its DLAS tenant's rights guide, but you can get a provincial government one. Meanwhile, DLAS offers other tenant/legal information and individual help:

http://tenantrights.legalaid.dal.ca/

 

Halifax Coalition Against Poverty is a political action and advocacy group for low-income tenants:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19202057576

 

Povnet: Nova Scotia resources (community services)

 

Other Provinces and Territories

This Tenant Information and Support page (assembled by a lawyer referral service not associated with Student Finance 101) has links to additional tenant and poverty organizations across Canada:

http://www.canlaw.com/tenants/tenantinfo.htm

 

Povnet Regional Resources (community services)

Use the map below to look up your region:

http://www.povnet.org/regional

 

Povnet Regional Advocates

This page will help you find an advocacy group where you live:

http://www.povnet.org/find-an-advocate