Ontario homelessness rose 23% in four years as province spending stays flat
Unhoused population hit 76,000, with Toronto alone accounting for 19,462. Provincial supports are projected to decline despite the surge.
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Homelessness in Ontario rose more than 23 per cent over the past four years to more than 76,000 people — a figure that counts only the known population experiencing homelessness and excludes those who have not consented to being included.
Toronto carries the largest burden: 19,462 unhoused people in 2024-2025, followed by Ottawa with 9,431, London with 4,576, Windsor with 4,007, and Hamilton with 3,744. Yet Toronto is also the only major centre showing decline — down 8.2 per cent since 2022. The GTA's surrounding regions, meanwhile, are surging: Durham region grew 130.8 per cent from 2022 to 2025; Peel region grew 90.5 per cent; York region grew 79.6 per cent.
Declining housing affordability and strong population growth are driving the increase. Partly offsetting the crisis are expansions of provincial supports and increases in federal supports for asylum claimants in 2025-2026. But the forecast is troubling: the number of unhoused people is expected to increase more than 15 per cent to more than 88,000 over the next three years.
More troubling still, the number of households supported by provincial homeless programs is projected to drop. That's because time-limited funding is ending and base program spending is lower than before. Provincial homeless programs include funding for emergency shelters, supportive housing, rent assistance and community outreach. Base homelessness program spending sits at $701 million in 2025-26.
At its peak in August 2024, Toronto accommodated 6,490 refugee claimants nightly. Toronto's own 2024 Street Needs Assessment found that eviction was a factor in respondents ending up on streets.
Why is Toronto the only major Ontario city seeing homelessness decline while surrounding regions surge?
How much of the projected 15% increase in unhoused people over three years is attributed to the end of time-limited federal and provincial funding?
What specific supports are ending, and which cities or regions will be most affected by the funding drops?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
How many unhoused people are in Ontario?
Ontario has more than 76,000 unhoused people, a figure that counts only those who have consented to being included in the data.
Which Ontario cities have the largest unhoused populations?
Toronto has 19,462 unhoused people, followed by Ottawa with 9,431, London with 4,576, Windsor with 4,007, and Hamilton with 3,744.
How much is Ontario's homelessness expected to grow?
The unhoused population is projected to increase more than 15 per cent to more than 88,000 over the next three years.
What is the current provincial spending on homelessness programs?
Base homelessness program spending in Ontario sits at $701 million in 2025-26, funding emergency shelters, supportive housing, rent assistance, and community outreach.
