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Advice-how to get group home accommodation Ottawa

pinaydaga

Full Member
Aug 26, 2017
38
0
Divorced disability pensioner out of Canada for several months seeks a shared/group home accommodation. Unable to find job before he left the country due to his disability but is receiving disability pension benefits. Plans to reapply for ODSP allowance (which was disallowed when he left the country) and OHIP when he gets back. So he has only these source of income to pay for accommodation.

Also he is advised by his doctor not to live alone because of his terminal illness condition.

Thanks.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
92,538
20,358
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Divorced disability pensioner out of Canada for several months seeks a shared/group home accommodation. Unable to find job before he left the country due to his disability but is receiving disability pension benefits. Plans to reapply for ODSP allowance (which was disallowed when he left the country) and OHIP when he gets back. So he has only these source of income to pay for accommodation.

Also he is advised by his doctor not to live alone because of his terminal illness condition.

Thanks.
He or someone else will need to research group homes in the area where he wants to live - as well as related fees (some are far more expensive than others depending on the accommodations, level of care provided, etc.). He should consider the level of care required - for example, is he looking for a hospice / palliative care? Note that some of these services will not be available to him until he has OHIP coverage.

Typically there are waiting lists - so he'll want to get himself on those asap for the places where he is interested in living.

Depending on how long he has been outside of Canada, he will need to wait three months after he arrives in Canada before he will qualify for OHIP again. If the three month wait time applies, he will have to cover all costs on his own during that time.
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,758
It will also take time to process things like ODSP. This person seems to be terminally ill. Do they have the funds to pay for medical care for 3 months. If they have family in the Philippines is it really a good idea to come back to Canada with zero support and no healthcare or place to live?
 

pinaydaga

Full Member
Aug 26, 2017
38
0
Reactivating this post. Same situation on above person. He has been living in the Philippines since end Nov. 2018. He wants to return to Canada as he has only his disability pension to pay for his needs -food, medicine, occasional visits to doctors, MRI - all very expensive. OHIP now I understand takes immediate to reacquire. ODSP can also be reinstated. Can he bring a support person to live with him - a girl friend he hopes to marry in Canada (he’s divorced already while in Canada before.)
 

steaky

VIP Member
Nov 11, 2008
14,297
1,628
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Reactivating this post. Same situation on above person. He has been living in the Philippines since end Nov. 2018. He wants to return to Canada as he has only his disability pension to pay for his needs -food, medicine, occasional visits to doctors, MRI - all very expensive. OHIP now I understand takes immediate to reacquire. ODSP can also be reinstated. Can he bring a support person to live with him - a girl friend he hopes to marry in Canada (he’s divorced already while in Canada before.)
Is he a PR (who met his RO) or citizen?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
92,538
20,358
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Reactivating this post. Same situation on above person. He has been living in the Philippines since end Nov. 2018. He wants to return to Canada as he has only his disability pension to pay for his needs -food, medicine, occasional visits to doctors, MRI - all very expensive. OHIP now I understand takes immediate to reacquire. ODSP can also be reinstated. Can he bring a support person to live with him - a girl friend he hopes to marry in Canada (he’s divorced already while in Canada before.)
It will be challenging to make this happen. Here are the issues you will face:

- Until the girlfriend is either a PR or has a work permit, the best she can do is visit Canada temporarily. She cannot move here or live here and cannot act as a support person for the Canadian (this will be classified as working illegally unless she is a PR or has a valid work permit that allows her to do so).
- To sponsor her for PR, they must either be married or common law. Common law means that they have lived together for a year in Canada continuously and have evidence to prove it. Processing of sponsorship applications is taking well over a year right now (close to two years). The options are to sponsor while the Canadian is outside of Canada and wait the two years for the application to be processed. The Canadian will need to show hard evidence that they plan to relocate to Canada as soon as the PR visa is approved. Given the Canadian's profile, it may be quite difficult to prove this. The other option is to sponsor inland however this requires both the Canadian as well as the girlfriend to be physically in Canada. So in that case the first step would be for the girlfriend to apply for a TRV and hope it's approved (there is a high chance it will be refused). If approved, this will allow her to enter Canada but it won't allow her to be a support person.
- When the Canadian sponsors the girlfriend, one of the assessments IRCC will conduct is a financial one to determine if the sponsor has sufficient income to ensure the person they are sponsoring won't end up on social assistance. Technically it is possible to sponsor someone while on ODSP however this does cause IRCC to review the application more closely and generally you would want the person being sponsored (in this case, the GF) to be independently employed and have sufficient career prospects in Canada to give IRCC the comfort that she won't be relying on social assistance. If the GF is the Canadian's care-giver, then this gives the strong impression they will both rely on social assistance since the Canadian isn't going to be getting enough money to pay her a salary. This is problematic for the sponsorship application and means that the application could be refused for financial reasons.
- Having the girlfriend apply for a work permit now to be a support person isn't in any way doable. For this to be doable, the Canadian would need to be in Canada and employed and making enough income to cover the costs of a support person's salary. Someone who is on a pension + ODSP won't have anywhere near enough income to qualify. This is a complete no go.

Overall, the Canadian can certainly return to Canada to live here. The rest, including bringing the GF here, is far far less certain and may be difficult to achieve.
 
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pinaydaga

Full Member
Aug 26, 2017
38
0
I thought I posted a followup on these posts yesterday, but I don’t see it. Anyway he’s done that - going home to Philippines - he really has no one there except his dad who is already in his 80’s, no income to add support. Although the benefit for this is he does not pay rent as it is a family residence, but other expenses (like food, medicines, doctor visits) he has to shoulder and his disability pension is his only source of income.

So he plans to return to Canada and reactivate his OHIP, ODSP, and see if he can be eligible for accommodation with LHIN.
His concern is can he bring a support pension to accompany him and stay with him if he can get a place. He is not allowed to reside all by himself because of his medical condition.

Thanks
 

pinaydaga

Full Member
Aug 26, 2017
38
0
Thanks Scylla - now I see my post yesterday. It really looks so hopeless for this Canadian to get a support person to stay with him. Unless the GF can apply for a TRV on her own skills and get approved. Would she need to have a prospective employer already when she applies for this.

I hear someone was saying there is such a case of a compassionate visa for people with disability. How does this work?
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,758
I thought I posted a followup on these posts yesterday, but I don’t see it. Anyway he’s done that - going home to Philippines - he really has no one there except his dad who is already in his 80’s, no income to add support. Although the benefit for this is he does not pay rent as it is a family residence, but other expenses (like food, medicines, doctor visits) he has to shoulder and his disability pension is his only source of income.

So he plans to return to Canada and reactivate his OHIP, ODSP, and see if he can be eligible for accommodation with LHIN.
His concern is can he bring a support pension to accompany him and stay with him if he can get a place. He is not allowed to reside all by himself because of his medical condition.

Thanks
Waitlists for most group homes that are safe are very long. Unfortunately some of the group homes are dumping grounds for anyone who suffers from addiction and/or other mental health conditions and are not places where most feel safe. The group hones that are nicer and have good support staff tend to have huge waitlists of years to decades. I would make sure he has a plan B. Many only allow the one person to live there. I would also be looking homes that he may be able to share with a roommate. Looking at regions that have lower cost of living compared to some areas in Ontario will also be important.