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Interim Housing Assistance Program

Program Name: Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP)
Category: Grants and Contributions
Department: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Last Updated : October 10, 2024

1. Authority

1.1 The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act establishes the Department of Citizenship and Immigration over which the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration presides. Section 4 of that Act sets out the powers, duties and functions of the Minister.

4. The powers, duties and functions of the Minister extend to and include all matters over which Parliament has jurisdiction relating to citizenship and immigration and that are not by law assigned to any other department, board or agency of the Government of Canada.

1.2 The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act provides the authority for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to enter into agreements and arrangements with the provinces and international organizations as follows:

Agreements

5. (1) The Minister, with the approval of the Governor in Council, may enter into agreements with any province or group of provinces or with any foreign government or international organization, for the purpose of facilitating the formulation, coordination and implementation — including the collection, use and disclosure of information — of policies and programs for which the Minister is responsible.

Arrangements

5. (2) The Minister may enter into arrangements with any province or group of provinces or with any foreign government or international organization, for the purpose of facilitating the formulation, coordination and implementation — including the collection, use and disclosure of information — of policies and programs for which the Minister is responsible.

1.3 Additionally, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration co-administers the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). That Act authorizes the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, subject to Governor in Council approval, to enter into agreements with the provinces:

Federal-provincial agreements

8. (1) The Minister, with the approval of the Governor in Council, may enter into an agreement with the government of any province for the purposes of this Act. The Minister must publish, once a year, a list of the federal-provincial agreements that are in force.

2. Purpose and Objective

2.1 Since 2017, Canada has experienced an increase in asylum claims. Provinces have called for support in managing the downstream impact of asylum flows, including interim housing pressures. While providing asylum claimants with a safe place to live has traditionally fallen under the purview of provincial and municipal jurisdictions, the Government of Canada recognizes the need for all orders of government to work together to address pressures on the shelter system, and to ensure that claimants have the supports they need to achieve housing independence.

2.2 With a view to supporting asylum claimants in quickly achieving housing independence while awaiting determination of their claim, IHAP will provide funding to provinces, municipalities, and community organizations to help:

  • Adopt sustainable, cost-effective approaches to addressing the housing needs of asylum claimants; and,
  • Build capacity to receive and address the housing needs of claimants in jurisdictions across the country.

2.3 It is anticipated that this support will help recipients coordinate the intake and referral of claimants, increase the availability of dedicated interim housing spaces, and facilitate access to supports and services.

2.4 As initiative aimed at helping partners support claimants while awaiting determination of their claim, IHAP contributes to the Department’s Results Framework through the Core Responsibility of Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration.

3. Eligible Services/Initiatives/Projects

3.1 Eligible services under IHAP are those that support asylum claimants in the achievement of housing independence, including the delivery of interim housing and/or shelter, as well as related services and supports.

4. Eligible Recipients

4.1 The organizations eligible to receive grant funding under these terms and conditions are:

  • Provincial, territorial or municipal governments.

4.2 The organizations eligible to receive contribution funding under these terms and conditions are:

  • Non-profit organizations working to support the housing independence of asylum claimants (e.g., community service providers).

5. Eligible Expenditures

5.1 Eligible expenditures for grants and contributions include:

  • Direct and indirect expenditures associated with the provision of interim housing or shelter spaces (e.g., direct operating costs, transportation and food related costs)
  • Service and support expenditures that help claimants find, secure and maintain housing (e.g., intake, triage and referral, case management, housing search, housing set-up, homelessness prevention activities, short-term housing assistance, employment-related services)
  • Expenditures associated with establishing and/or enhancing the coordination of resources, data, and activities (e.g. coordinating intake, triage, referrals, aligning services and data/information, and developing/disseminating best practices/approaches)
  • Capital expenditures intended to increase interim housing or shelter capacity for asylum claimants, including through purchase/acquisition, installation, renovation, and leasing.

6. Determination of Funding Amount and Maximum Amount Payable

6.1 All funding allocations will be subject to approval by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

6.2 Grant allocations per region will be informed by the total amount available each fiscal year as well as consistently available measures of need, which may include but are not limited to: asylum claims data, historical spending patterns under the program, population, and the relative need for service infrastructure.

6.3 Recommended grant amounts per recipient will be informed by a standardized assessment of proposals received, including:

  • the demonstrated need, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and expected outcomes of the proposals received
  • other evidence beyond the information provided in proposals, as deemed appropriate by Canada

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship will make the final funding decisions, which will be reflected in the funding agreement of the recipient. The maximum amount payable per recipient under the grant stream is $385 million per fiscal year.

6.4 Recommended contribution amounts per recipient will take into account:

  • the total amount available each fiscal year
  • the demonstrated need, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and expected outcomes of the proposals received
  • other evidence beyond the information provided in proposals, as deemed appropriate by Canada

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship will make the final funding decisions, which will be reflected in the contribution agreements of the recipient. The maximum amount payable per recipient under the contribution stream is $15 million per fiscal year.

7. Cost-Matching Requirements

7.1 Recipients of grant funding are required to demonstrate in their proposals to access funds, and results reports, matching funding from provincial/territorial/municipal sources towards activities/projects carried out under the IHAP grant agreement. In alignment with the program’s emphasis on sustainable, cost-effective approaches, the cost-matching requirement will vary based on the projects pursued by recipients.

7.1.1 For program funding used by recipients towards activities/projects that meet the parameters of a sustainable and cost-effective approach – as defined in the published IHAP program directives – the following cost-matching requirements apply:

  • In 2025-26, recipients must demonstrate a minimum of 5% in matching provincial/territorial/municipal funding (i.e., IHAP funding can be used to cover up to 95% of the cost of activities/projects that meet the parameters of a sustainable and cost-effective approach).
  • As of 2026-27, recipients must demonstrate a minimum of 25% in matching provincial/territorial/municipal funding (i.e., IHAP funding can be used to cover up to 75% of the cost of activities/projects that meet the parameters of a sustainable and cost-effective approach).

7.1.2 For all other uses of program funding (i.e., towards any eligible activities/projects that do not meet the parameters of a sustainable and cost-effective approach as defined in the published IHAP program directives) the following cost-matching requirements apply:

  • In 2025-26, recipients must demonstrate a minimum of 25% in matching provincial/territorial/municipal funding (i.e., IHAP funding can be used to cover up to 75% of the cost of activities/projects that do not meet the parameters of a sustainable and cost-effective approach).
  • As of 2026-27, recipients must demonstrate a minimum of 50% in matching provincial/territorial/municipal funding (i.e., IHAP funding can be used to cover up to 50% of the cost of activities/projects that do not meet the parameters of a sustainable and cost-effective approach).

8. Basis of Payment

8.1 Financial grants to eligible recipients will be based on an instalment payment schedule agreed to between Canada and eligible recipients. The payment schedule will be outlined in the negotiated funding agreement.

8.2 Contributions funding to eligible recipients will be made as reimbursement of eligible costs incurred or as advances payments and will be based on the presentation of acceptable claims and progress reports. The payment schedule will be outlined in the negotiated agreement. At the time of claiming final payment, or at the end of each year in the case of a multi-year agreement, the recipient must provide an accounting statement and a final detailed report on the achievement of the objectives outlined in the agreement. Holdbacks will also be used in the payment of contributions.

8.3 Both single year and multi-year agreements may be funded, subject to program criteria and available funding.

9. Required Information from Applicant and Assessment Criteria

9.1 Applicants must, in writing, submit a proposal, using a template provided by the Department, outlining plans and expected costs of activities associated with the IHAP purposes and objectives.

9.2 Assessment Criteria

The department will assess proposals received and recommend funding amounts accordingly based on factors such as:

  • demonstrated need for financial support
  • cost-effectiveness
  • sustainability
  • expected outcomes

10. Reporting Requirements

10.1 Grant Recipients:

  • Eligible grant recipients will be asked to report, at a frequency prescribed in the funding agreement, and in a template provided by Canada, the results achieved through the use of grant funding.

10.2 Contribution Recipients:

  • Recipients are required to report back to the Department, as indicated in their Contribution Agreement(s). Reporting will include financial and results reports, and/or such other information that the Department may reasonably request for the purpose of verifying that the project is being implemented in accordance with this contribution agreement. Reports may be annual and will contain statistical and narrative information about results achieved against IHAP’s objectives and outcomes.
  • All reporting by recipients in support of the Department’s requirements with respect to performance measurement, research, evaluation, monitoring, and policy analysis must be satisfactory to the Department in terms of scope, detail, format and frequency in order to support the Performance Measurement Strategy and evaluation of the program.

11. Official Languages

11.1 The nature of this program is related to asylum claimants. Therefore the program does not support activities that directly benefit individuals belonging to either official language minority or majority communities.

11.2 Communications with the public will take into account the relevant official languages obligations and comply with all applicable requirements stipulated in the Official Languages Act and related regulations and policies.

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2025-07-31