Toronto’s homelessness crisis is spiralling, and the numbers are staggering.

The city’s 2024 Street Needs Assessment reveals a grim reality: homelessness has doubled since 2021, with 15,400 people living on the streets last fall, up from 7,300.

Shockingly, funding to combat this crisis has also doubled, ballooning from $180.5 million in 2019 to $365.3 million under the Housing TO 2020-2030 Action Plan.

So, where is this money going?

The data paints a troubling picture. A staggering 71% of those in city-run shelters, transitional housing, or hotels are immigrants, including asylum seekers — a sharp rise from 13% in 2021.

The assessment also notes that 31% of respondents cited “leaving the community/relocated” as a leading cause of homelessness, up from just 7% in 2021, when immigration-related issues were explicitly tracked.

This surge aligns with federal policies opening the mass migration floodgates, overwhelming Toronto’s already strained systems, while the crisis disproportionately impacts certain groups.

Indigenous people, just 3% of Toronto’s population, make up 9% of those unhoused. The Black community, 10% of the city, accounts for a staggering 58% of those without shelter. Many face mental health challenges, chronic illnesses, or substance use, yet the system — despite increased funding — is failing them and the broader community grappling with public disorder.

Last year’s Ombudsman report exposed the chaos: shelters were so overwhelmed that they turned away refugees and asylum seekers, prompting a proposed class-action lawsuit over gross mismanagement.

Meanwhile, Ontario processed 14,915 asylum claims in the first four months of 2025 alone, with 18,420 total claimants flooding the province, far surpassing Quebec’s 13,890. Most end up in Toronto, home to Canada’s largest shelter system, which provides more services per capita than anywhere else in the region.

Instead of solutions, a poverty industry thrives, profiting while despair floods the streets. Unplanned migration waves, both legal and illegal, are clearly buckling Toronto’s systems, exposing a cesspool of mismanagement.

The Housing TO plan promised change, but the streets tell a different story.

Band-aid fixes and bloated budgets, funded by taxpayers, aren’t working.

Torontonians deserve a system that addresses root causes: housing affordability, mental health support, and controlled immigration policies that don’t overwhelm the capacity to help Canadians first.

For now, throwing money at a broken system only seems to deepen the misery.

PETITION: Fix Our Cities!

22,577 signatures

Goal: 30,000 signatures

Canada's urban centres are spiraling into decay and chaos, with rampant crime, open drug use, and rising poverty turning once-desirable cities into places of fear. From violent knife attacks on Toronto’s public transit to open-air drug markets in Vancouver, these cities are becoming unrecognizable and unsafe, especially for families. Homeless encampments now dominate public parks and playgrounds, where drug paraphernalia litters spaces meant for children. And it’s not just Toronto and Vancouver — cities across the country are suffering as law and order give way to failed progressive policies. Sign our petition and follow our reporters as we investigate the true causes behind this urban decay and reveal what the mainstream media won’t.

Sign Now

Optional email code

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Email

Mobile phone

Send me email updates

I Consent to Receive informational messages & Alerts from Rebel News Network Ltd.. Message frequency varies. Message & data rates may apply. You can reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time.

Country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth Macedonia, Republic ofNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands

Street address

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces PacificCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFederated States of MicronesiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarshall IslandsMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPalauPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirgin IslandVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Zip code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City/Suburb

State/territory

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Street 2

City

Postcode

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apartment, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State/region

Postal code

Comments (optional)