COW – Housing Supports for Asylum Seekers – June 9, 2025

Key Facts and Figures

• Through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), the federal government provides funding to provincial and municipal governments, to support efforts to address the housing needs of asylum claimants. Since 2017, the government has provided approximately $1.5B to jurisdictions, of which $912.3M went to Ontario municipalities.
• Since 2017, Quebec has received $1.1B in recognition of pressures resulting from an increase in asylum claimants, including approximately $543M from IHAP.
• Budget 2024 provided $1.1B in funding over three years, starting in 2024–2025, to extend and renew IHAP to 2027.
• In addition to funding through IHAP, since 2020 the government has provided temporary accommodations to asylum claimants through federally-funded hotels. The Department has received $66.6M to continue hotel operations until September 30, 2025.
• As of June 3, 2025, the Department is directly housing approximately 800 claimants, all in Ontario. There has been an overall net decrease of 6,842 claimants in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) hotels since January 1, 2024.

Key Messages

• The government is committed to working collaboratively with all partners to support long-term solutions to addressing the housing needs of asylum claimants.
• IRCC has significantly reduced its hotel accommodations in various provinces and is focusing on supporting partners to transition from emergency responses to sustainable temporary housing models for asylum claimants through IHAP.
• IRCC-funded accommodations are strictly temporary.
• Through IHAP, the federal government has already provided approximately $1.5B to jurisdictions since 2017 to support costs associated with housing pressures resulting from increased asylum volumes.
• Budget 2024 allocated $1.1B in funding over three years to extend the program through to 2026–2027 to prioritize permanent, sustainable and cost-effective approaches to support asylum claimants, including reception centres and additional temporary housing capacity. The Department is currently reviewing proposals received from jurisdictions.
• IRCC continues to work collaboratively with willing provinces and territories to support the voluntary relocation of claimants.

Supplementary Information

• As a part of a transition period in 2024–2025, IRCC provided $22M to Peel Region and $40M to the City of Ottawa to help them increase their capacity to serve asylum claimants through reception centres.
• IRCC is also working with jurisdictions, namely Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, to assist with the voluntary relocation of asylum claimants from Ontario and Quebec to other areas of the country. Over the next two years, Newfoundland and Labrador have committed to welcome 290 and 490 claimants, respectively.
• These relocation efforts aim to help support claimants’ housing independence and fill labour market gaps. The Department and Newfoundland and Labrador have already successfully collaborated in the voluntary relocation of a first wave of 50 asylum claimants from Ontario at the end of March 2025.
• The government recognizes that the lack of affordable and available housing is affecting both Canadians and newcomers. IRCC supports government-assisted refugees with temporary accommodations and help in finding permanent housing.
• Housing is a key component in the successful settlement and integration of newcomers, and a requisite to achieving the long-term social and economic benefits of immigration. Immigration can also bring in workers with needed skills in new and innovative construction techniques to support homebuilding and increase productivity in the construction industry.
• Regarding asylum seekers: While funding initially focused on short-term emergency measures like hotels and relieving pressure on municipal shelters, the renewed model prioritizes cost-effective, sustainable solutions and long-term capacity building across Canada. For example, we provided $22M to Peel Region for a new reception centre that has opened near Pearson International Airport. This shift will reduce costs to Canadians and improve outcomes for claimants.