Special Services at Home Visual Application Walkthrough
Ontario's SSAH application for a child with a disability, explained one step at a time.
What this program is
Special Services at Home gives families funding to buy services and supports for a child with a physical and/or developmental disability: help with daily activities, activities that support growth and development, and respite for the people who care for the child. Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services runs it.
Who applies
A parent or main caregiver applies for the child. The child must be under 18, live in Ontario and be legally entitled to live in Canada, need extra support beyond what is expected for their age because of a physical and/or developmental disability, and live at home with their main caregiver or live separately without support from government-funded out-of-home residential services.
How you can apply
Pick the method you will actually use. The steps below are written for that method, and you can change it at any time without losing your place.
Apply online
Complete and submit the application on Ontario's SSAH portal. You can save it and come back.
You have 90 days to complete and submit the online application, and you can only submit one application for your child. Submitting duplicates delays processing.
Apply on paper
Download the SSAH application, complete it, and send it to your local ministry regional office.
The paper application goes to your local regional office of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, along with the required documentation.
You do not need an account. Nothing you type here is sent to the government, and this page never asks for a social insurance number, medical details or banking information.
Accessible Compass is an independent educational resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the government body named on this page. Always submit your application through the official channel.
Last verified: November 6, 2026
Checked against: Ontario — Special Services at Home · Ontario — SSAH paper application (PDF)
This is general education, not legal, financial or medical advice. The government decides eligibility, and only the government can tell you whether your application is approved.
What we could not verify
Rather than guess, this guide leaves these items out and points you to the official instructions.
- Ontario does not publish a decision timeline for SSAH on the page checked here, and this guide does not invent one; the review process section of Ontario's page is the authoritative source.
- Funding amounts are set by the ministry and vary, so none are shown here.
- The Ontario page checked is published in English. A French service page was not found at the address tested, so official links are marked English only rather than pointing at a broken French page.
