PACP - Housing Supports for Asylum Seekers - December 5, 2023
Key Facts And Figures
In July 2023, the Government announced $212M in funding and a one-year renewal of the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) until March 2024; which included up to $97M for the City of Toronto.
Between 2017 and 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued IHAP payments of $698.8M: $440.9M to Quebec, $215.4M to City of Toronto, $26.1M to City of Ottawa, $8M to Manitoba, $6M to British Columbia, $2.2M to Region of Peel and $220K to City of Hamilton.
Budget 2023 provided an additional $530M allocated in 2023-2024 for IRCC to directly provide short-term accommodations to asylum seekers unable to shelter elsewhere, in addition to the funding already provided since the 2022 Fall Economic Statement.
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.
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.
In July 2023, the Government announced $212M and a renewal of IHAP until March 2024 to reimburse, on a cost-sharing basis, expenses incurred in 2023 by provinces and municipalities providing interim housing to asylum claimants. Through IHAP, the federal government has already provided almost $700M to jurisdictions since 2017.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
