The Simcoe County "Ontario Renovates" Grant: Up to $15,000 in Forgivable Loans for Home Repairs & Accessibility

There is a provincial grant program that provides Simcoe County homeowners with up to $15,000 in forgivable loans for essential home repairs—and an additional $5,000 grant for accessibility modifications [1]. It charges no application fees. The loan is forgiven entirely over 10 years. And most eligible homeowners have never heard of it.

The Ontario Renovates program is administered locally by the County of Simcoe and is available to low-to-moderate-income households across the entire county, including Barrie, Orillia, Innisfil, Bradford, Collingwood, and surrounding townships [1][3].

This isn't a niche program buried in bureaucracy. In Simcoe County alone, 85% of seniors live in private dwellings [7], and over the past seven years, the county's Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant has supported more than 440 housing modification projects [8]. The demand for home repairs and accessibility upgrades is real—and growing. Ontario Renovates exists to meet that demand, but awareness remains low.

Why This Matters:

• •$15,000 forgivable loan for roof, plumbing, electrical, heating, and foundation repairs [1]
• •$5,000 grant (not a loan) for accessibility modifications like ramps, handrails, and bathroom renovations [1]
• •No application fees and loans forgiven over 10 years [1]
• •First-come, first-served funding—early applicants have the best chance [3]

Source: 211 Ontario, Simcoe County Ontario Renovates [1]; County of Simcoe, Affordable Housing Programs [3]; County of Simcoe, Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant [7][8]

Ontario Renovates is a provincially funded, locally administered housing program designed to help low-to-moderate-income homeowners make essential repairs and accessibility improvements to their homes [1][3]. In Simcoe County, the program is managed by the County's Social Housing department.

Program Structure:

The program has two components [1][5]:

1. Essential Home Repairs — Forgivable Loan up to $15,000
2. The loan covers critical repairs that address health, safety, and structural integrity. It is registered on your property's title and forgiven in equal installments over 10 years provided you continue to own and occupy the home as your principal residence [1][11].

1. Accessibility Modifications — Grant up to $5,000
2. This is a non-repayable grant (not a loan) specifically for modifications that improve accessibility for seniors or persons with disabilities [1][5].

Forgiveness Conditions:

If you remain in the home for the full 10-year period, the loan balance reaches zero—you owe nothing [11]. If you sell or move out before the 10-year period ends, 10% of the loan is forgiven each year, and the remaining pro-rated balance becomes repayable [11]. The loan becomes immediately repayable in full if false information was provided in the application or funds were used for unapproved purposes [11].

Key Facts:

Source: 211 Ontario [1]; Ottawa Ontario Renovates [5]; Hamilton Ontario Renovates [11]; County of Simcoe [3]

The program covers a broad range of essential repairs and accessibility modifications. Understanding what qualifies is critical to maximizing your funding.

Essential Home Repairs (up to $15,000 forgivable loan) [1]:

• •Building exterior: Roofs, walls, foundations
• •Doors and windows: Replacement or repair
• •Plumbing and septic systems: Pipe repair, septic upgrades
• •Fire safety systems: Smoke alarms, fire separations
• •Electrical systems: Panel upgrades, rewiring
• •Heating systems: Furnace repair or replacement
• •Mould remediation: Professional removal and prevention

Accessibility Modifications (up to $5,000 grant) [1]:

• •Ramps: Exterior and interior wheelchair ramps
• •Handrails: Stairway and hallway safety rails
• •Chair and bath lifts: Mechanical lift installations
• •Height adjustments to countertops: Lowering for wheelchair access
• •Cues for doorbells and fire alarms: Visual/auditory accessibility features
• •Bathroom renovations: Grab bars, roll-in showers, accessible fixtures

Eligible Soft Costs [1]:

The program also covers associated costs beyond materials and construction:

Source: 211 Ontario, Simcoe County Ontario Renovates [1]

Ontario Renovates targets low-to-moderate-income households who own and occupy their home as a principal residence [1][5]. Eligibility criteria vary slightly by municipality, but the core requirements are consistent across the province.

General Eligibility [1][5][4]:

• •Own your home as your sole and principal residence
• •Meet household income thresholds set by the local service manager
• •Property taxes, mortgage payments, and insurance must be up-to-date
• •Home value must fall within program limits
• •For accessibility modifications: must be 65+ years old, have a disability, or live with a senior/person with a disability [5]

Income Thresholds:

Simcoe County does not publicly list its specific income limits online—applicants must contact the county directly [1]. For reference, the Region of Waterloo (a comparable Ontario Renovates program) uses these 2025 thresholds [4]:

Households receiving Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program as their sole income source may also qualify [4].

Funding Availability:

This is critical: Ontario Renovates operates on a first-come, first-served basis with limited annual funding [3]. Financial assistance may not be available to all eligible applicants in the year they apply. Early application gives you the best chance of receiving funding.

To confirm Simcoe County eligibility and current income limits: - Phone: 705-725-7215 ext. 1119 - Email: iah@simcoe.ca - Website: simcoe.ca/ontariorenovates [1]

Source: 211 Ontario [1]; County of Simcoe [3]; Region of Waterloo Fact Sheet [4]; Ottawa Ontario Renovates [5]

To understand the value of Ontario Renovates, consider what home repairs actually cost in Ontario in 2026.

Bathroom Renovations:

The national average bathroom remodel costs $16,500 in 2026, with most homeowners spending between $8,000 and $45,000 depending on scope [9]. Mid-range bathroom remodels—the kind that include accessibility upgrades like grab bars, a roll-in shower, and wider doorways—typically run $180–$280 per square foot [9].

A $5,000 accessibility grant covers a significant portion of a focused accessibility retrofit.

Plumbing Repairs:

Licensed plumber hourly rates in the GTA range from $110–$200 per hour, with emergency services costing 1.5–2x the standard rate [10]. Common repair costs include:

Roofing:

A standard roof replacement for a Barrie-area home runs $5,000–$15,000+ depending on size and materials. Repairs to address leaks, flashing, or structural damage start at $500–$3,000.

The Math:

A homeowner who needs a roof repair ($8,000), plumbing fix ($3,000), and bathroom accessibility upgrade ($5,000) is looking at $16,000 in essential work. Ontario Renovates can cover up to $20,000 of that—potentially the entire project.

For a low-to-moderate-income household, the difference between affording these repairs and deferring them (allowing small problems to become emergencies) is the difference between a safe home and a dangerous one.

Source: 2026 Bathroom Remodel Cost Guide [9]; Plumbing Services Cost Guide [10]

The accessibility component of Ontario Renovates isn't a nice-to-have. It addresses a demographic shift that is already reshaping Simcoe County's housing needs.

Canadian Seniors Are Staying Home:

A CMHC report found that Canadian seniors are increasingly choosing to age in their homes rather than downsize or sell [6]. Only 21.5% of homeowners aged 75–79 sold their properties between 2016 and 2021—and the trend is declining. Over the past 30 years, the rate of property sales among seniors over 75 has dropped approximately 6 percentage points [6].

The reasons are straightforward: people are living longer, have more financial resources than previous generations, and prefer the independence of their own home [6].

Simcoe County's Demographic Reality:

• •County population: 598,785 (July 2024 estimate) and growing rapidly [3]
• •85% of county seniors live in private dwellings [7]
• •The county's Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant program approved 95 applications in 2024 alone, distributing $500,000 in annual funding for home modifications [8]
• •Over seven years, the program has supported 440+ modification projects [8]

What This Means:

Tens of thousands of Simcoe County homeowners are seniors living in homes that were not designed for aging. They need modifications—grab bars, ramps, accessible bathrooms, chair lifts—to continue living safely and independently. The $5,000 Ontario Renovates accessibility grant exists specifically for this purpose.

For homeowners who are not yet seniors but have aging parents living with them (or planning to), accessibility modifications also support multigenerational living arrangements—a growing trend accelerated by housing costs.

Source: CMHC, seniors aging in place report [6]; County of Simcoe, Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant [7][8]; County of Simcoe, Affordable Housing Programs [3]

Ontario Renovates does not exist in isolation. Simcoe County and the City of Barrie offer several other programs that may apply to the same property—or even the same project.

Programs That May Stack:

How Stacking Works:

Ontario Renovates addresses essential repairs and accessibility for the main dwelling. If you're also creating a legal Additional Residential Unit (basement suite, in-law suite), the Barrie Bonus and Simcoe County Secondary Suites program cover separate costs related to that unit [13][14].

A homeowner who needs a new roof, accessible bathroom, and wants to build a legal basement suite could theoretically access Ontario Renovates for the repair work and the ARU-specific programs for the suite build—drawing from multiple funding sources for different parts of the same property.

Important Caveat:

Program rules may require that eligible costs be reduced by any reimbursement or assistance received from other programs. The same expense cannot be claimed under multiple programs. Confirm with each program administrator how specific incentives interact before planning your project around stacked funding.

The Age-Friendly Housing Grant:

Separately, Simcoe County (excluding Barrie and Orillia) runs the Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant for homeowners and landlords with occupants aged 60+ [7]. This covers accessible housing design, dementia-friendly modifications, and enhanced accessibility features. Applications typically open in March with a May/June deadline [8]. This grant can complement Ontario Renovates for seniors requiring more extensive modifications.

Source: County of Simcoe, Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant [7][8]; City of Barrie, Housing CIP [13]; County of Simcoe, Secondary Suites Program [14]

If you think you may qualify for Ontario Renovates, here's the path forward.

Step 1: Contact Simcoe County

Before starting any work, contact the county to confirm eligibility and current funding availability. The program is first-come, first-served—don't assume funding will be available later.

• •Phone: 705-725-7215 ext. 1119
• •Email: iah@simcoe.ca
• •Website: simcoe.ca/ontariorenovates
• •Office: Simcoe County Administration Centre, 1110 Hwy 26, Springwater, ON, L9X 1N6
• •Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm [1]

Step 2: Gather Your Documents

While the county will provide specific requirements, typical Ontario Renovates applications require: - Proof of homeownership and occupancy - Household income documentation - Property tax payment confirmation - Mortgage and insurance confirmation - Description of required repairs or accessibility modifications

Step 3: Get a Professional Assessment

Before applying, get a professional assessment of your home's repair and accessibility needs. This serves two purposes: - Provides accurate cost estimates for your application - Identifies all eligible repairs so you maximize your funding

Step 4: Submit Your Application

Applications can be downloaded from the Simcoe County website, picked up at the Midhurst location, or mailed [1]. There is no application fee.

Step 5: Complete Work to Program Specs

Once approved, complete the repairs using the approved scope of work. Keep all receipts, invoices, and documentation—the county will require proof that funds were used as approved.

Why Work With a Specialist?

We help Simcoe County homeowners assess their homes for grant-eligible repairs and accessibility modifications. A professional assessment ensures you identify every eligible item—maximizing your funding rather than leaving money on the table.

Whether you need a roof repair, plumbing upgrade, or accessible bathroom renovation, we can scope the work to Ontario Renovates program requirements and provide the documentation you need for a strong application.

Ready to find out if you qualify?

Contact us for a free consultation. We'll assess your home, identify grant-eligible repairs, and help you understand your options before you apply.

References

[1] 211 Ontario, "Simcoe County, Corporation of — Social Housing — Ontario Renovates," 211ontario.ca. https://211ontario.ca/service/71102258/simcoe-county-corporation-of-social-housing-ontario-renovates/

[2] Simcoe Reformer, "Funding for home repairs available through Ontario Renovates," simcoereformer.ca. https://www.simcoereformer.ca/news/local-news/funding-for-home-repairs-available-through-ontario-renovates

[3] County of Simcoe, "Affordable Housing Programs," simcoe.ca. https://simcoe.ca/residents/housing/affordable-housing-programs/

[4] Region of Waterloo, "Ontario Renovates Fact Sheet," regionofwaterloo.ca. https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/resources/Housing-Services/DOCS_ADMIN-4195350-v3-OR_ONTARIO_RENOVATES_-_FACT_SHEET.pdf

[5] City of Ottawa, "Ontario Renovates Program — Homeowner," ottawa.ca. https://ottawa.ca/en/family-and-social-services/housing-and-homelessness/ontario-renovates-program/homeowner

[6] CMHC, "More seniors choosing to age in home instead of downsizing," as reported by Toronto Star and Building.ca, 2024.

[7] County of Simcoe, "Apply for an Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant," simcoe.ca. https://simcoe.ca/residents/seniors/age-friendly-communities/apply-for-an-age-friendly-seniors-housing-grant/

[8] Barrie360, "County of Simcoe opens 2025 Age-Friendly Housing Grant program," barrie360.com. https://barrie360.com/simcoe-county-age-friendly-housing-grant-program-2025/

[9] USA Cabinet Store, "Bathroom Remodel Cost 2026: Complete Guide to Pricing, ROI & What to Expect," usacabinetstore.com; RenoQuotes, "The Ultimate 2026 Home Renovation Cost Guide," renoquotes.com.

[10] Premier Plumbing, "Plumbing Services Cost in Toronto and the GTA (2026)," premierplumbing.ca. https://premierplumbing.ca/plumbing-cost-guide/

[11] City of Hamilton, "Ontario Renovates Programs," hamilton.ca. https://www.hamilton.ca/people-programs/housing-shelter/housing-supports/ontario-renovates-programs

[12] Ontario.ca, "Guide to programs and services for seniors — Housing," ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/document/guide-programs-and-services-seniors/housing

[13] City of Barrie, "Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP)" and "Barrie Bonus for Affordable Additional Residential Units (ARUs)," barrie.ca.

[14] County of Simcoe, "Affordable Housing Programs — Secondary Suites Program," simcoe.ca. https://simcoe.ca/residents/housing/affordable-housing-programs/