A new report is bringing into sharper focus the strain an influx of refugee and asylum claimants is putting on Toronto's shelter system.
The 2018 Street Needs Assessment includes a count of Toronto's homeless on the streets and in shelters performed on the evening of April 26 and details some of the challenges they face.
The study finds 40% of people in Toronto's shelter system are refugee or asylum claimants, a figure that has ballooned from 11% in early 2016.
MORE: Toronto's 2018 Street Needs Assessment
City of Toronto
Todd Orvitz with the Shelter, Support and Housing Administration for Toronto explains that over the last 18 months, the number of refugee and asylum claimants relying on shelters has skyrocketed from 450 to a peak of about 3,200 before settling in around 2,600 in April.
"It's the lion's share of growth in the sector," Orvitz says.
80% of the refugee and asylum claimants turning to Toronto for help are families of at least three people, something Orvitz concedes presents some challenges with space.
The homelessness survey was released at nearly the same time as Canada' Parliamentary budget office revealed people who crossed the border irregularly last year will cost federal organizations $340 million. That sum is expected to rise to $396 million in 2019-20.
RELATED: Asylum seekers cost federal organizations $340 million
Ontario has pegged its cost for dealing with irregular migrants at $200 million.
Toronto has estimated the city's costs for 2017 and 2018 at $65 million, with an anticipated annual cost of $43 million going forward. Mayor John Tory has repeatedly called on the federal government to reimburse the city for past expenditures and provide funding going forward.
To date Ottawa has offered Toronto $11 million
"The City can't do this alone," mayor Tory said in a statement Thursday. "The federal government has come forward with initial help but we need the continued assistance of our federal and provincial partners to ensure that Toronto remains a safe, welcoming and accessible place for all."
Todd Orvitz believes a regional strategy that would see provincial and federal governments working with the city would help decrease the number of new people coming into the shelter system.
As it is, Orvitz says Toronto is holding a "fine balance" that is at risk of toppling.
"We have about 18 to 20 people entering our system every day. We also have about 18 to 20 people being housed every day," Orvitz explains.
"The shelter system is full, the family system is full, our refugee claimant response is full. So at any point in time a surge could put us in a situation where we needed to rely on a contingency.
with files from the Canadian Press