CIMM – Housing Supports for Asylum Seekers – December 05, 2023
Key Facts and Figures
In July 2023, the Government announced an extension of the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) until March 2024, with additional funding of $212M, including $97M for the City of Toronto.
Key Messages
The Government is committed to working collaboratively with provincial and municipal partners to ensure that asylum claimants have access to temporary shelter when they need it.
The renewed IHAP funding will assist jurisdictions in adjusting to the influx of asylum claimants and increase their interim housing capacity, reducing the risk of homelessness for this vulnerable population. Eligible expenses under IHAP include temporary accommodations, triage and transportation, and other indirect costs related to the provision of interim housing for asylum claimants.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is continuing to provide limited temporary accommodations for claimants who otherwise would not have a place to shelter to relieve pressures away from provincial and municipal shelter systems.
In addition, we will be making interim IHAP payments available to several municipalities to ease operational burdens in advance of final payments for 2023 costs.
On November 24, we announced that the Government of Canada will provide the Region of Peel with $7M to open a new reception centre that will provide shelter and support to asylum claimants. Funding will come from IHAP. This new model will better serve the needs of asylum claimants by providing upfront the information and supports they need.
The Government continues to explore options for support to provinces and municipalities that provide housing and services to asylum claimants, going forward; however, we stress that solutions for long-term strategies need to come from all levels of government.
Supplementary Information
To help manage the immediate crisis related to shelter needs of claimants in Toronto, IRCC has struck an interdepartmental Deputy Minister operational table with the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto and other impacted municipalities, as well as relevant federal partners, focused on ensuring a common understanding of asylum-related housing challenges and identifying cross-jurisdictional solutions.
As of November 19, 2023, IRCC’s hotel footprint for temporary accommodation was approximately 3,800 rooms across Canada
(28 hotels in six different provinces), and we are currently housing approximately 7,000 claimants, including 2,200 in Quebec and 4,500 in Ontario. The total projected cost for IRCC-funded hotels (ILS) for 2023-2024 is $557M.
