The purpose of this petition is to amplify our voices to urge Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, to provide financial support for establishing a fair, sustainable funding model for the provision of shelter system/affordable housing for refugees and asylum seekers in Toronto.

The Current Landscape

In spite of the fact that Toronto has the highest number of shelter beds per capita (337 per 100,000) in Canada and has added more than 1,000 shelter spaces in the last year, the shelter system remains  overburdened on most nights.

At present, there are approximately 9,112 people in Toronto’s shelter system, about a third of which are refugees. Refugee claimants in the shelter system in the City of Toronto numbered 537 in September 2021. By May 2023, it had increased to 2,900, a 440 percent increase. According to the City of Toronto, approximately 5,360 new refugee claimants have been admitted to Toronto shelters since September 2021, and that number is expected to continue to rise. There are thousands of refugees who are turned away daily due to this crisis, forcing them to sleep outside overnight.

Why you should care

In general, Syrian refugees are individuals who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of external factors that cannot be controlled, such as war. The majority of Syrian refugees arrive in Canada with limited financial resources, and they must learn a new language as well as adapt to a new culture after fleeing war and persecution. Therefore, the Syrian refugee population is at a greater risk to experience homelessness due to, among other things, a lack of affordable housing, systemic discrimination, psychological distress, and unemployment. In addition to post-migratory stressors, homeless refugees face a significant burden of mental health issues that puts them in a higher risk for victimization and food insecurity. The presence of stable housing for refugees contributes to the development of settlement in Canada and enables the accessibility of other important components, such as health care and education.

Call to action

Based on Toronto’s strained shelter capacity, Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto, estimates the city will need at least $160 million to $200 million to find a long-term solution. In response to her appeal for financial support, federal government indicates that hundreds of millions of dollars have already been allocated to cities across the country through the Interim Housing Assistance Program. The efforts, however, are insufficient to meet the needs of the current shelter system in Toronto, forcing people to sleep outside.

With this in mind, we implore Minister Marc Miller to commit to providing the City of Toronto with the additional $160-$200 million requested by Mayor Chow, to create a fair, sustainable funding model to provide temporary housing for refugees and asylum seekers in Toronto.