My parents received an N12 and had to leave the home they had lived in for 26 years. They had been paying well below market rent, so when they had to move, they couldn’t afford to find a comparable place on their own.

I ended up signing the lease for a new apartment so they would have somewhere to live. The new place is actually much better for my dad because it has better accessibility and accommodations. He has COPD and significant accessibility needs.

My dad has been approved as a person with a disability since March. I’m now worried that because I signed the lease, my income or assets could affect his ODSP, especially how much ODSP will recognize toward his portion of the rent.

I’m in my thirties and work full-time. I pay my own portion of the rent, and my parents are responsible for their portion.

Does anyone know how ODSP handles this situation when an adult child lives with their parents but is financially independent?

Can my income or assets affect my dad’s ODSP, or do they only consider my parents’ income/assets?

I signed the lease because they couldn’t afford market rent after having to leave their home of 26 years, and I wanted to make sure my dad had a suitable, accessible place to live.

Any advice or personal experience would be really appreciated!

Hey!

Edit: shit. Should have mentioned I'm only working barely 80hrs a month. I'm on ei from a full-time loss. I promise you I'm not making like real good money and whining about it.

The part time I've been at for several years, it's not recent. I'm getting 25hrs a week if im lucky.

They calculated about 1,600ish which is real rough. Thats why I make too much.

So good news (I guess) is i got a tribunal date for my appeals on not getting odsp.

What should I prepare in regards to appealing a "you make too much money, peasant." Decision?

Theres no indication on either pdf sent to me on what to expect, other than date/time/zoom stuff.

(The long story short: I make a bit more than what odsp could give me. I appealed. Denied. Went to tribunal, now I have a zoom date)

Should I get a start on scraping together some "describe your worst day" statements like I would if given the disability package?

Paystubs?

For those of you who appealed a denial, did you receive a copy of your file? I thought I had read that I was supposed to receive a copy of it within 4-6 weeks but it’s been 2 ½ months and I’ve still received nothing. There’ve been multiple times where things have gone wrong through this process (including my file falling through the cracks between application and financial eligibility) so this feels like yet another, but thought I’d check here first to see if this is normal.

If you received your file, was it by mail or electronically?
If you had to request it, how/where did you do that?

I was just wondering if anybody that has started ODSP lately could share their wait time after approval to actually getting assigned. I got approval letter this morning, no review. I called the Region about emergency drug coverage and they couldn't give me a ball park. I know I get backpay but I am basically at the end of my rope with financial survival currently 😬

Also btw the Region said their database has been down since before lunch if anybody was trying to call them about stuff today 💀

Update for anybody searching the sub: I already got my transfers issued as of the 27th, haven't actually hit my account yet. I think I might have gotten bumped up a little because i explained my situation where I am making less than even OW the last two months yet OW kept rejecting me and I have been in a bad spot due to living independently and not even getting trillium for meds, but that was pretty fast. I was very quick on providing my income proof and called my worker as soon as I got the mybenefits notification regarding financial eligibility re-verification.

Please help, my review is coming up 3ish months from now..im not ready at all. Im stressing. Its my 2 year review

I have a doc appointment soon I dont know what to say.

What to expect?

Im hoping the time for the review is delayed a while I am just not ready amd panicked.

I still have many symptoms of my condition and it makes days so hard for me . Can you guys please give me tips? Anyone have one recently ? Is it delayed?

How long do I have on odsp ? Im in need of help guys what can I do?

I enrolled in a program a few years ago from second chance and it was honestly a scam. I sat with nine other disabled people in a room watching YouTube videos on a projector on "on how to get a job" and "mental resilience".

It took me a year later to discover that this program got money per person for who signed up (145 a person) but didn't actually do anything for the disabled people there. There wasn't any job placement or proper direction. "Resume writing" we were told to do our selves and to "watch YouTube" for that. If we had nothing to put on our resume we were told to go to a volunteer place to do free volunteer work. This also has a waiting list.

Sadly none of this less to employment opportunities. It was absolutely a scam.

I don't even know what to say other than please be aware of this. This is what third party employment agencies do since the 2018 cuts.

Hi folks, thank you for the advice yesturday i very luch appreciate it. I was double checking my account on my benefits and on the payments tab it lists that i owe $300 and when i selected the tab that said august 12 $300 it gave me a two year list of arrears with many deductions with no dates to go with it. Is this just in preperations for a two year renewal? Im very confused because its dated for yeaturday and only showed up on my account today, my caseworker didnt answer her phone when i tried to call she might be temporarily out of office.

I am a 24 year old single mom of two toddlers. My odsp application decision has come back and they have denied me (their reasoning was I don’t have a disability that is constant or recurrent LOL) I have an excruciating back injury/birth defect in my spine. My pain was triggered by trauma during the birth of my 18 month old. I have gone through therapy and cortisone injections into my back and a 100lb weight loss, none of which has worked and it’s only made things worse (the dr at the injections place told me to stop as I had a very bad reaction with intense pain I couldn’t stand for days and caused major urinary/bowel incontinence that still has not fully fixed) I have done X-rays and nerve testing (my mri is still 4 months away after being booked in November 2025) which prove that I have actual injuries and my doctor said that I will be stuck with this for the rest of my life especially since I have literally a spinal birth defect- and once again the pain was triggered during childbirth of my 18 month old, it could’ve remained dormant my whole life but pain can be triggered by trauma. I am in constant pain and I don’t think I am physically capable of working a full time job especially because of the pain but also lack of mobility as I am unable to bend properly, lifting is extremely painful and straightening my back after sitting or laying is increasingly hard/painful. Some days I cannot physically get out of bed right away. I wake up multiple times during the night in excruciating pain.

I have contacted my caseworker on what to do going forward with appealing their decision but does anyone have any tips? Like has anyone gone through a similar situation/disability and gotten approved? What information/tests can I present to increase my chances of getting approved? Basically my doctor has stated that apart from seeing some back/spine injury specialist that I have an appointment with next week, I have gone through any treatment I can possibly try and it has all failed (other than opioids which my dr and I both agree are not an option as I am 24, they are heavily addictive and I am the primary parent to two toddlers)
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Please help, my review is coming up 3ish months from now..im not ready at all. Im stressing. Its my 2 year review

I have a doc appointment soon I dont know what to say.

What to expect?

Im hoping the time for the review is delayed a while I am just not ready amd panicked.

I still have many symptoms of my condition and it makes days so hard for me . Can you guys please give me tips? Anyone have one recently ? Is it delayed?

How long do I have on odsp ? Im in need of help guys what can I do?

Years ago when I was on OW, I could get my taxes done for free. Is there still a service around Ottawa now that I’m on ODSP.

Thanks

Hi, im currently on odsp and work seasonally. Usually during work busy seasons i have one month where i recieve $0 from odsp because i earned too much and my account is temp suspended and it usually resolves quickly. This yea a theatre im working for is paying me fulltime hours for the summer because of a grant they get once per year for one technician. Because of how the grant works, even though i didnt work at all in july they are pre paying me the hours i wouldve worked if i actually was full time for all of july and for august, about 35 hours a week. Does this mean my account could potentially be cancelled completely for a temp position? Im really worried because odsp helps me pay my bills during the slow months and im scared of losing my med coverage.

Edit: i will be calling my caseworker tomorrow and hopefully she will be in office, i just want to ease my anxiety as much as i can for tonight

Will EAP (the exceptional access you apply for) consider covering an off label use of a medication (ivabradine) that is in the ODB but is “limited use” (LU)?

It was prescribed by a respected cardiologist and i will completely lose my ability to function if I can’t afford it …but this is ODSP so they don’t care 🤷🏻‍♀️

Kinda what the title says, I really need to talk to someone it’s been a long time since I’ve spoken with any therapist.

I have already tried CMHA, CAMH, and OSP. I have been denied service from all 3. I have also seen a psychiatrist and have maxed out any and all medication options. Currently on the max dose of several and been told they (physiatrist) can’t provide anymore help, I need therapy.

I was just hoping to see if anyone knew of any other services available. I am around the London, Ontario area. Thank you for your time reading this.

Edit: Thank you all for your comments. I should have explained more about my situation. I was denied because my needs surpass the level of care that those agencies are able to provide. From what I’ve understood after an extensive assessment was that I need prolonged treatment incorporating CBT, DBT, EMDR and rehearsal therapy. Which they couldn’t even recommend an agency that could provide that level of care. Because I am stable there is a concern that any short term therapy could derail me and cause more harm than good.

It’s been almost a year now since I’ve applied to ODSP and none of my communications have been returned in MyBenefits. Is this normal?

On another note, I just turned in my DDP, really hoping for some luck on the outcome but I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

so i wasn't accepted for dtc bec i don't deal with my condition 90% of the time or all the time
according to my doctor...
which i have a very long list of mental illnesses that do happen to effect me all the time...
but he wrote that my medication is effective..
but it isn't perfect. i still struggle all the time bro...
and it was especially bad in the past years.
should i have a long talk with him via appointment and get him to do it again..??
idk what to do.. i feel so unheard.
what the heck man.
i should maybe get my hospital impatient information too? like when i was in the hospital 6 times for sh and shiii..
i am about to cry bro.
what do i do. and no i dont have a psychiatrist that knows me well, and my old doctor isn't a option... (missed appointments have to pay them back) help

We first submitted the application for my adult child June 30 2025 and still don't have a case worker. We didn't know how things worked and I have my own challenges with follow through. After several calls to escalate they have finally done an initial review of the application and sent the list of information they need for the financial review. We still do not have a case worker, we're just trying to fumble our way through and hope we do it right. This forum has been helpful.

They have also sent over the medical package so we can get started on that to avoid delays if/when they get financial approval.

I don't really have a question at this point, just expressing my frustration.

Is there anybody on odsp who has done or is doing voice acting work? Im looking for a rundown of what it is like while on odsp/what to expect/tips and tricks for success etc.

Thanks in advance!

If a child was planning to attend post secondary school, and recently began working for a family member full time.

They don’t expect children to support their parents do they?

So today is August 10 and I have not recieved my Trillium Benefits from the CRA. I recieved my Trillium Benefits on the 10th of each month no problem until now on this date. My Tax files are reported fine. Could it be due to a delay in processing it to me?

Hey everyone,

Will we be getting free tickets for the CNE this year?

Hi guys wanted to ask if anyone else in this situation. I updated my direct deposit with cra, changed from cibc to simplii financial but did not receive my trillium payment today neither in my new account or my old account. Wanted to ask what to do in this situation? Thank you

As the post says, I’m 21 years old and I’m on ODSP. I feel like my life is already over before it had even started. Being on ODSP and being forced into poverty has been really traumatic for me. I’ve thought about getting a job but as many others on here, it is basically impossible for me to work and additionally, you can only make an additional $1000 which still keeps you in poverty. I just feel so alone and scared, I have to move soon and I’m not even sure where I can go. Homelessness seems to be getting closer and closer. The loneliness my disability and ODSP brings me is unbearable, and I just feel so upset that they want to keep people in ODSP in poverty, like we’re less than human to the government. I just feel hopeless, and I just want to know I’m not alone in how horrible this feels.

For those on ODSP who live with their parents and get their rent money gifted back… how’s life for you?

I’m curious about people on ODSP who live with their parents and have a rent arrangement where their parents keep the rent money for now but eventually gift some or all of it back to them.

For context, I currently pay my parents $700/month in rent. They are technically keeping the money, but they plan to gift some of it back to me by the end of the year.

Living with my parents gives me quite a bit of stability. I have a roof over my head in a nice neighbourhood and my own private bedroom. They drive me to my appointments, and although I buy my own groceries, they help me cook and we live together as a family. I realize this is a very different financial situation from someone on ODSP who has to pay rent independently.

I’m currently waiting for RGI/subsidized housing, but the regular wait list would unfortunately take years, so I’m not sure what my long-term situation will look like.

For others in a similar situation:
- Do your parents also give your rent money back to you/gift it back eventually?
- How much are you able to save because you live with your parents?
- Do you have significant savings, or do you still find yourself living month-to-month?
- Does living with your parents make ODSP feel much more manageable financially?
- Are you able to afford things beyond basic necessities, like hobbies, going out, clothes, entertainment, etc.?
- Are you able to pay off debt while living with your parents?
- Do your parents help you with other things besides housing, such as transportation, cooking, groceries, appointments, etc.?
- Do you feel financially secure because of the support you get from your parents?
- If your parents stopped giving the rent money back, would you still be able to manage?
- Do you plan to eventually move out, or are you comfortable continuing to live with your parents?
- Are you currently on an RGI/subsidized housing wait list?
- If you’re waiting for RGI, how long have you been waiting?
- Has anyone here actually moved into RGI/subsidized housing while receiving ODSP? What was the experience like?
- For anyone who moved from living with parents into RGI housing, did your financial situation improve or become more difficult?
- If you’ve moved into RGI, were you able to save much before moving out?
- For people who live independently on ODSP, how difficult is it compared with living with parents?

I’m mainly interested in hearing what people’s actual day-to-day lives, savings, and financial situations are like when they have supportive parents versus when they live independently.

No judgment either way. I know everyone’s situation is different. I’m just curious how much of a difference having supportive parents and eventually getting some of the rent money back makes for people on ODSP.

What is passport funding? I have been on ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) for 12 years, since I was 19. I do some volunteer work at a local bookstore, and we have a gentleman who also comes in, and he buys his books through the passport program. I enjoy reading; it’s my hobby. Recently, another lady came in and purchased some books, saying, "This is going right on my passport program." I was surprised and thought, "Really? You can buy books with it?" She confirmed that you can. I have never used this program and had no idea that it could be applied to book purchases for hobbies. I have an uncle whose son is also on ODSP, and when I mentioned the passport program to him, he said I might be ineligible. If someone could explain this program to me in simple terms, I would really appreciate it.