Ontario has seen a slight decrease in the number of people who are homeless while receiving provincial financial supports, largely because fewer asylum seekers are living on the streets as refugee claims slow down.
Data obtained by The Trillium from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services shows that in July 2025, 25,387 Ontario Works (OW) or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients were homeless, down from a peak of 27,729 in August 2024. Including spouses and dependents, the number of beneficiaries was 31,772.
The decline was most notable among asylum claimants: their share of OW recipients experiencing homelessness dropped from 36 per cent in July 2024 to 18 per cent this July. But the number of ODSP recipients who are homeless has continued to climb, even as overall ODSP caseloads remain stable.
The report highlights that sports-related financial hardship from COVID-era supports ending has driven OW enrollment higher — from 135,256 recipients in June 2022 to 202,759 in June 2025. ODSP recipients numbered 302,806 this June, up slightly from 295,804 three years earlier.
Despite the modest improvement, homelessness among social assistance recipients is still nearly double what it was in 2022. Ontario’s emergency shelters were nearly 95 per cent full last December, with asylum seekers making up nearly 40 per cent of occupants.
The Ford government points to ODSP increases — a 20 per cent boost since 2022, tied to inflation — and expanded earnings exemptions as efforts to ease pressures. But critics, including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, argue Ontario and municipalities are still left carrying costs that Ottawa has been reluctant to fully cover.