I don't know what part of Canada you live in, but in my province you just get a monthly lump sum to live on. Out of that you have to pay your rent, hydro, gas, food, clothing, and everything else. There is another branch of government that runs subsidized housing, and it can offer you rent-geared-to-income (which encompasses the working poor as well as those on assistance). Sometimes when an assistance recipient is found to be spending on things outside of basic survival and fails to make the regular payments, a "direct pay" gets set up to creditors but that is an exception requiring case review and evidence, not the rule.

I know this because it has been explained to me in detail by my wife, who is a case worker at the county welfare office.