When returning from prison, especially after a long period of incarceration, many people experience challenges when trying to rent an apartment, such as: Many landlords will not rent to people with a criminal record Many people returning from prison can't afford first and last month's rent They often have a long gap in rental history, so they lack the references many landlords demand They don't have the required identification and banking capabilities to get approved for a lease They have a poor credit history Rents in Toronto have increased by 26% over the past 10 years, the vacancy rate has dropped to 1%, and there is a lack of new rental and affordable housing The majority of shelter users are on Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) (37% and 29% respectively) OW shelter benefit rates have only increased by 8%