Asylum seekers are on the street after being locked out of Toronto's shelter system

For two weeks, Asuman Najib Ssali has been sleeping on the streets of Toronto since arriving as an asylum seeker from Uganda.

He is part of a group of asylum seekers and refugees who have recently arrived in Canada but have been repeatedly turned away from the city’s at-capacity shelter system.

City officials say it’s because they need more financial support and are looking to the Canadian government to step up.

However, many asylum seekers can't get federal help if their claims haven't been fully granted, leaving dozens of them stuck in limbo with nowhere to sleep.

Last year, Ottawa provided Toronto with over $70 million throughout 2022, which covered about 98 per cent of the city's cost last year.

Mayor Olivia Chow says the city will need “at least $160 million from the federal government” to shelter the refugees. As more refugees and asylum seekers come to Toronto, they expect that dollar figure to increase.

But the federal government says that through the Interim Housing Assistance Program, it has provided $700 million in funding to provincial and municipal governments.

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