(NOTE: not all groups are eligible for all buildings – please see individual building guidelines for further details)

Family – Defined as a minimum of two people, including one dependent child. Who is considered a dependent child? An unmarried child, stepchild, adopted child or legal ward, mainly supported by the applicant, who is:

o Under 19 years of age.

o Under 25 years of age and registered in full-time school, university, or vocational institute which provides a recognized diploma, certificate, or degree.

o Of any age who, because of mental or physical infirmity, is accepted as a dependent for income tax purposes.

Senior – Defined as a single person aged 60+, or a couple aged 60+. Alternatively, someone with disabilities aged 55+ will qualify as a senior for CVAHS housing purposes.

Persons with Disabilities – Those who can live independently, and are in receipt of a recognized disability pension, or are considered disabled for income tax purposes.

Singles and Couples – You are a single person, or a couple, with a low income, and homeless, or at risk of homelessness. In addition, you do not meet the definitions of seniors or people with disabilities.

Applicants must permanently reside in British Columbia when applying, and each member of the household must be one of the following:

• Canadian citizen.

• Individual lawfully admitted into Canada for permanent residence.

• Refugee sponsored by the Government of Canada.

• Individual who has applied for refugee status.

No adult members of the household can be under private sponsorship, except where BC Housing has accepted that private sponsorship has broken down.

CVAHS takes applications from applicants living locally, as well as outside the Comox Valley regional district – however, local members of the community with demonstrated need, and who have completed the application process, may be given preference dependent on their situation and application details.

Subsidized Housing: To be eligible for subsidized housing, the applicant’s gross household income must be below certain income limits, as established by the Housing Income Limits (HILs); limits are determined by BC Housing from time to time, and represent the income required to pay the average market rent for an appropriately sized unit in the private market. Average market rents are derived from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Annual Rent Market Survey.

Affordable Rental Housing: (NOTE: Affordable rental housing is also known as affordable housing, below-market, or lower-end of market housing.) Affordable rental housing is for people who have a low-to-moderate income but may not be eligible for subsidized housing. Affordable rental housing is housing with rents equal to, or lower than, average rates in the private market. CVAHS uses local Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data to set rates. The income cap for moderate income housing with CVAHS in 2023 is approx. $82,310 for units with less than 2 bedrooms (i.e.: bachelor or one-bedroom suites).

To be eligible for housing with CVAHS your household assets must be less than $100,000. This asset policy has been developed to benefit those in greatest need and to prevent people from having to deplete all their resources.

Assets that are included for valuation are:

• Stocks, bonds, term deposits, mutual funds, and cash.

• Real estate equity, net of debt.

• Business equity in a private incorporated company including cash, GICs, bonds, stocks, or real estate equity.

Assets that are excluded from valuation include:

• Personal effects such as vehicles, jewellery, and furniture.

• Bursaries or scholarships from educational institutions for any household member that is a current student.

• Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs), Registered Retirement Saving Plans (RRSPs), and Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs.)

• Trade and business tools essential to continue currently active employment, such as farm equipment, specialized tools, and vehicles.

• Assets derived from compensatory packages provided by the government (Ex: Indian Residential School Settlements and Japanese Canadian Redress).

Tenants who previously lived in subsidized housing may be eligible to reapply, provided they meet the residency, income limit, and target group criteria, as well as the following special criteria:

• Applicants must have no outstanding debt from any previous tenancy with BC Housing or any members of the Housing Registry. Applicants with outstanding debt will be asked to pay in full or enter into a repayment plan for the outstanding amount.

• Previous subsidized housing tenants may be subject to a file review. If the previous tenancy was ended for cause, applicants may not be eligible to reapply. Files will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants who have been excluded for consideration from the BC Housing Registry are not eligible to apply for, or live in, any CVAHS managed/owned housing unit.

Potential Exclusion Criteria – Applicants may be excluded from consideration for The Housing Registry if any of the following apply:

• Unsatisfactory tenancy history (based on landlord references (see below), receipt of notices to end tenancies, or review of past tenancies in subsidized housing).

• Provision of false or fraudulent information.

• Failure to provide documents as requested, or consent as needed to verify information provided and to determine eligibility.

• Unable to demonstrate an ability to pay rent and/or failure to apply for and receive income from income programs, such as, but not limited to, the Ministry of Social Development or the Canada Pension Plan.

• Debt to a subsidized housing provider in B.C.

• Do not meet residency requirements.

• Unable to live independently with supports.

• Do not meet defined household groups.

• Deliberately worsened current housing situation.

• Demonstration of unacceptable behaviours either in relation to a tenancy or in the community at large that may threaten the health, safety or right of peaceful enjoyment of a community by others.

• If there is cause to believe that a household member is engaging in or has a history of criminal activity that may threaten the health, safety or right of peaceful enjoyment of the community by others, including the manufacturing or production of illegal drugs.

(NOTE: Applicants who may be potentially excluded based on any of the above will be provided with an opportunity to provide additional information and/or documentation in support of their application to demonstrate suitability as a potential tenant. Each application and supporting documents shall be evaluated on its own merit.)

Mandatory Exclusion Criteria:

The Housing Registry will not accept applications from individuals or members of a household that have been convicted of or who have outstanding charges related to sexual interference with a child and/or possession of child pornography.

Housing Registry members wish to maximize the use of limited available affordable housing by matching eligible applicants to units that meet their needs, in a community where they can be appropriately supported, to provide them with the best chance of a successful tenancy, while cultivating communities free from fear of violence, criminal activity, and disturbances of any nature that pose a risk to others.

Demonstrated Unacceptable Behaviours:

Applicants who have demonstrated any of the following unacceptable behaviours either in relation to a tenancy or in the community at large may be excluded from consideration unless they can provide additional information and/or documentation in support of their application to demonstrate suitability as a potential tenant. Each application and supporting documents shall be evaluated on their own merit.

• Anti-Social Behaviours – Actions that have caused an unreasonable disturbance or form of harassment to other persons, or damage to property. Examples may include, but are not limited to, verbal abuse, harassment, vandalism, theft of property, racial abuse, prostitution, throwing objects likely to cause harm, substance misuse (illegal substances), and unintentional fires.

• Risks to Life/Safety Behaviours – Actions that have endangered that person’s own safety or the safety of others or that have created a tangible risk to the applicant or to other persons and/or property. Examples include, but are not limited to violence of any nature, murder or manslaughter, drug trafficking, weapons offences, arson, criminal harassment, sexual assault (formally known as rape), physical assault (with or without a weapon), threats to kill or cause physical harm, vandalism to life safety systems, theft with violence or threats, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and/or home invasions. This would also include identification by law enforcement as participants in gang related activity, regardless of conviction for the activity.

• Nuisance Behaviours – Actions that would be considered a breach of the Tenancy Agreement that are not Risks to Life Safety or Anti-Social Behaviours. Examples may include, but are not limited to, noise nuisance, cleanliness issues that cause smells/pests/health issues, smoking or drinking alcohol underage, or in restricted areas, substance misuse (non-illegal substances), begging.

Applications being reviewed based on demonstrated risk to life safety, anti-social, nuisance behaviours and/or criminal activity, not linked to a past tenancy, may be considered if:

• Applicant can provide written certification that the offending household member(s) is/are no longer a part of the household; or

• Five years or more have elapsed since conviction, time served, and probation or parole for criminal activities that may threaten the health, safety or right of peaceful enjoyment of the community for others.

• Offending household member(s) is/can certify corrective actions taken to change unacceptable behaviours such as satisfactory evidence of participation in or receiving services through a supported housing program.

Applicants, who have been identified as potentially not eligible due to an unsatisfactory tenancy history, will be asked to provide a current and verifiable reference(s) demonstrating that they have maintained a successful tenancy with no reoccurrence of the behaviours demonstrated in past tenancies. The landlord reference(s) must cover a minimum of six months for nuisance behaviours and a minimum of twelve months for anti-social or life safety behaviours.