{"id":"e139","name":"Ontario Works: monthly money plus dental, special diet, newborn, child care, LEAP, job, medical travel and guide dog help","type":"institution","typeLabel":"Public institution","tags":["social assistance","government","toronto","income support","drug benefit","employment"],"what":"Provincial social assistance delivered by the City of Toronto: money for \"food, shelter and other costs to people in financial need\". Once you are on Ontario Works, your caseworker can add emergency dental and denture care, a special diet allowance, newborn and pregnancy help, child care start-up, LEAP for young parents, job and transportation costs, medical travel, a guide dog benefit, and extended health benefits when you leave for a job. Apply online 24/7, by phone, or at the Employment and Social Services office for your postal code; a caseworker then follows up and asks for documents.","languages":["Arabic","Bengali","Chinese (Simplified)","Chinese (Traditional)","English","Farsi","French","Russian","Spanish","Tamil","Turkish","Ukrainian","Urdu"],"reachNum":null,"reachUnit":"recipients","reachSource":null,"reachSeen":null,"website":"https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/","contact":{"route":"Online application at ontario.ca/page/social-assistance; Social Assistance phone line Mon-Fri 8:30-5 (number and TTY on page); local TESS office; 311","url":"https://www.ontario.ca/page/social-assistance","email":null},"welcomes":["applications"],"sources":["https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/employment-support/toronto-employment-and-social-services-locations/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/employment-support/employment-seekers-in-financial-need/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/policies-and-procedures/dental-services/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/policies-and-procedures/guide-dog-benefit/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/policies-and-procedures/extended-health-benefit/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/policies-and-procedures/medical-transportation/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/child-family-support/ontario-works-child-related-benefits/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/policies-and-procedures/special-diet/","https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/health-support/"],"verified":"checked","approach":"Public institutions work through programs and forms, not favours. Find the program that already exists for your purpose, then ask the named contact what they need from you.","eligibility":"Toronto resident with Canadian status, 18+ (16-17 in special circumstances), in financial need for basic living costs, and willing to look for or keep work unless medical/special circumstances apply","cost":"Free","intents":{"reach":false,"grow":null,"job":false,"volunteer":false,"specialist":null,"opps":false,"housing":false,"money":true,"info":false,"marriage":false},"minAge":null,"district":null,"costBand":"Free","reachBand":null,"place":{"country":"Canada","cc":"CA","region":"Ontario","city":"Toronto","scope":"city","label":"Toronto"},"guideTitle":"How to reach them","added":"2026-09-30","extraLinks":{},"applicationProcess":null,"requiredDocuments":null,"waitTime":null,"hours":null,"accessibility":null,"whatNext":null,"topics":["jobs","benefits","money","transport","health","disability","parents","education","food"],"channels":[{"kind":"website","url":"https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/","label":"Website","seen":"2026-09-30"}],"welcomesRaw":["not applicable (government program)"],"checked":"2026-10-08","checkEvery":90,"reachKind":"none","map":null,"spaceKind":null,"steps":["Apply online, by phone, or at your local Employment and Social Services office.","A caseworker follows up and asks for your documents.","Once you are on Ontario Works, ask your caseworker for the extras you need."],"phone":"1-888-999-1142","format":null,"rules":null,"order":null,"free":true,"waliRole":null,"mixing":null,"maxAge":null,"routes":[{"kind":"Online application at ontario.ca/page/social-assistance; Social Assistance phone line Mon-Fri 8:30-5 (number and TTY on page); local TESS office; 311","url":"https://www.ontario.ca/page/social-assistance","value":null,"seen":"2026-09-30","source":"their own site"},{"kind":"Office phone","value":"1-888-999-1142","url":null,"seen":"2026-10-02","source":"their own site"}],"spacesNote":"Share buttons only; apply online via ontario.ca; How to Apply PDFs in 13 languages; TTY 1-800-387-5559","spacesSeen":"2026-10-02","spaceCount":1,"routeCount":2,"primaryRoute":{"kind":"Online application at ontario.ca/page/social-assistance; Social Assistance phone line Mon-Fri 8:30-5 (number and TTY on page); local TESS office; 311","url":"https://www.ontario.ca/page/social-assistance","value":null,"seen":"2026-09-30","source":"their own site"},"help":"direct","country":"CA","region":"CA-ON-TOR","currency":"CAD","lang":"en","reach":0.6,"reachGroups":["lowincome"],"reachBasis":"Social assistance for people in financial need (low income). Low income is a condition (two readers agreed): Government social assistance for people in financial need","reachSet":"2026-10-08","shelf":"tax-money","audiences":["low-income","between-jobs","working","on-assistance","disability","parent"],"payer":"government","reachKey":"low-income","hidden":false,"amountKind":"none","dates":{"deadline":"","opens":"","closes":"","nextPayment":"2026-10-30"},"kind":"opportunity","offer":"money","oldNames":["Ontario Works - Toronto Employment & Social Services"],"mergedFrom":["u182","u212","u213","u214","u215","u216","u217"],"qualify":["Not enough money for basic living costs","Live in Toronto with status in Canada","Aged 18 or over, or 16 or 17 in special cases"],"serves":"all","provider":{"name":"City of Toronto","url":"https://www.toronto.ca/","source":"https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/","read":"2026-10-09"},"amount":null,"page":"/o/ontario-works-monthly-money-plus-dental-special-diet-newborn-child-care/","stale":false,"staleDays":0,"checkedNote":"Facts read from the source pages on 2026-10-08; spaces read from their site on 2026-10-02; re-checked every 90 days.","status":"listed","spaces":[{"kind":"website","label":"Website","url":"https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/","reach":null,"unit":null,"seen":"2026-09-30","note":null}],"missing":["organization email (not published on their pages)","follower or subscriber counts (platform pages do not expose them to readers; ask the organization or check the platform)","audience number for the organization as a whole (not public)"]}