2. Learn about getting OW while serving a sentence part-time
Beware of scams
People have been getting phone calls with a pre-recorded message telling them their Ontario Works account has been deleted.
This is a scam to trick you into sharing your personal information. If you get a call like that, hang up the phone. You can report these calls to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
Question & Answer
Can I get OW if I’m in custody?The general rule is that you don't qualify for from Ontario Works (OW) when you're in custody because you're serving a sentence.
But if you're serving a sentence part-time, you might qualify for assistance.
For example, you might be serving your sentence on weekends. You would still qualify for assistance for each day that you're out of custody for at least part of the day.
So if you go into custody on Friday evenings and get out on Monday mornings, you can qualify for assistance on Fridays and Mondays.
But OW won't include Saturdays and Sundays when they figure out the amount to give you for the month.
Housing costs
If you're serving a sentence part-time, you can ask OW to keep giving you the full amount of your financial assistance that's for housing.
For example, if you still pay the same rent, OW might not reduce the amount they give you for housing.
