A newly released survey shows the number of homeless people in Toronto has more than doubled between the spring of 2021 and last fall.
Toronto’s Street Needs Assessment (SNA) survey estimates that 15,400 people were homeless in Toronto in October 2024, up from approximately 7,300 in April 2021.
The report says the spike is a result of several issues, including a lack of affordable housing, unmet health care needs, insufficient income support and substance use struggles.
“The point-in-time count estimated more than 15,000 were experiencing homelessness in October 2024, with 1,615 of those living outdoors. This compares to a total of 7,300 people experiencing homelessness in 2021,” the report states.
It says the increase in Toronto mirrors the situation in Ontario and across Canada after the COVID-19 pandemic directly affected homelessness rates.
“While progress has been made since the 2024 SNA, the City continues to provide emergency accommodation to approximately 9,000-10,000 people, and each night the shelter system is at capacity with demand exceeding availability.”
The report says the housing crisis requires strategic responses and Toronto is already seeing a reduction in the number of homeless people due to fewer refugee claimants in shelters, lower encampment numbers and movement of people into permanent housing.
The city reports that a total of 1,078 people living outside were referred to the shelter system, and more than 4,300 people were housed last year.
