On July 18, 2023, the Federal Government announced increased support for asylum seekers in Canada due to the rising number of people claiming asylum. The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Sean Fraser, announced a one-time injection of approximately $212 million in funding into the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) until March 31, 2024. This includes roughly $97 million in new allotment for the City of Toronto. The IHAP provides funding on a cost-sharing basis to provinces and municipalities for interim housing for asylum claimants. Additionally, IRCC has been working with the most impacted provinces and territories to increase the amount of temporary housing, including over 3,800 hotel rooms in six provinces to provide temporary housing to asylum claimants.
