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    1. Home
    2. Housing and social support

    Support for asylum claimants

    Details about emergency shelters, housing, employment support, local resources, and our asylum claimant response.

    An asylum claimant is someone who has requested refugee protection in Canada, either at a port of entry or from within the country. Many arrive with limited resources, no housing, and few community connections.

    Unlike Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs) who have status with the Canadian government before arriving in the country and are on a path to permanent residency in Canada, asylum claimants make refugee claims after arriving in the country and need to have their claims reviewed by a tribunal to determine whether they can remain in Canada on humanitarian grounds.

    Asylum claimants are not covered by major Canadian government resettlement programs and do not receive direct funding from the Government of Canada. Many turn to local municipalities and service managers for help.

    Emergency shelter program

    If you’re an asylum claimant in need of temporary housing and essential support services, call the Asylum Claimant Shelter Central Intake Line at 647-368-5880.

    Walk-ins are not permitted.

    Call the Central Intake Line before visiting the Peel Reception Centre or any of Peel’s hotel sites.

    Emergency shelter program eligibility

    Clients who have submitted an asylum claim and are waiting for:

    • Confirmation of eligibility
    • A work permit
    • An interview with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB)
    • IRB decision letter

    To confirm eligibility, you must provide verification of your asylum claim at intake.

    What asylum claimant locations offer

    • Large congregate setting to support single individuals, couples and couples with adult children 16 years and older in Mississauga at the Peel Reception Centre.
    • Hotel room for families with children under the age of 16 in Mississauga and Brampton.
    • Accommodations for up to 90 days.
    • Basic needs including 3 meals and snacks, showers, laundry facilities, and prayer rooms.
    • Support to help you navigate complex systems and to successfully continue your Canadian journey. This includes immigration and settlement services, housing and income support.

    In partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Peel Region opened the Peel Region Reception Centre in February 2025.

    The Centre is located at 5100 Spectrum Way in Mississauga, at the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Dixie Road, near Pearson International Airport, and on major bus routes.

    It’s the largest shelter in Canada dedicated to asylum claimants 16 years and older who are homeless and have made an asylum claim.

    It offers temporary accommodations up to 90 days along with integrated support services designed to address the specific needs of this population with the primary focus on supporting individuals with securing their own permanent housing.

    Services include:

    • Settlement support
    • Immigration support
    • Legal aid
    • Housing services
    • Income supports
    • Employment
    • Primary health services

    Staff from Peel Region’s Housing Services, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Service Canada are also available on-site several days a week.

    This is not a drop-in program. Clients must access the Centre through Peel Region’s Central Intake Line by calling 647-368-5880.

    Service providers can download a flyer about the Peel Region Reception Centre.

    We help asylum claimants cope with the challenges of displacement, offering stability and guidance during a difficult transition period. This includes support with finding housing, income support, health care, legal aid, language support, and community integration.

    To get help you can complete the housing screening.

    Access these services in Peel for help and information about money, health, and adjusting to life in Peel.

    Immigration supports

    If you’ve recently arrived in Canada and need to submit an immigration application or need refugee protection, access Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.

    Welcome to My Refugee Claim - your journey through Canada’s refugee protection process will be your very own. But there are important steps that all refugee claimants must take. Use the 8 sections of this website to find where you are at in the process, learn what you must do, and prepare for what is next.

    Legal services

    Mississauga Community Legal Services

    If you reside in Mississauga and are looking for free legal services to support you with your asylum claim, call 905-896-2050 or access their website  to learn more about the services provided.

    Employment services

    WCG Employment Ontario provides jobseekers with the support and programs they need and can help you secure employment to gain Canadian work experience.

    Financial help

    If you need help paying for food and shelter, financial help is available from the Ontario government called Ontario Works. This is also sometimes known as social assistance.

    If you want to apply for Ontario Works, you must have official papers that prove you’ve made a claim for refugee protection.

    Health care

    The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) will temporarily pay for some health care services for refugee claimants in Canada if the claimants do not have provincial, territorial, or private health-care coverage.

    Black Health and Social Services Hub Peel - offers a range of Afrocentric programs and activities in primary care, mental health and addictions, and social services.

    Refugee HealthLine

    Call the Refugee HealthLine for free at 1-866-286-4770. The Refugee HealthLine is available in many languages. It will connect refugee claimants with health care providers who deliver temporary health care and services. Refugees, resettlement assistance programs, sponsors, and settlement agencies can also call the Refugee HealthLine to help match refugees with:

    • Primary care providers (refugee health clinics, community health centres, family health teams, nurse practitioner-led clinics, midwifery practices, physician practices, and walk-in clinics).
    • Specialists (obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, and psychiatry).
    • Mental health service providers.
    • Optometrists.

    The Refugee HealthLine will refer agencies and individuals to the closest providers who can help give eligible patients temporary care.

    Adjusting to life in Peel

    Settlement.org is a website that gives newcomers and refugees information and resources about living in Ontario.

    • Get important information.
    • Read relevant news.
    • Ask questions.
    • Share your experiences with others.
    • Get a list of community organizations.

    ImmigrationPeel.ca

    ImmigrationPeel.ca provides newcomers to Canada with information about local services, programs, and events that will help them adjust and embrace the Peel Community faster and easier.

    211 is a free helpline that will not share your personal information with others. It is available every day, all day and night, online and by phone in more than 150 languages.

    Call or text 211 or visit 211Central.ca to chat live about these and other community services:

    • newcomer and settlement services
    • employment and training programs
    • 2SLGBTQ+ resources
    • mental health support
    • legal aid services
    • child care programs
    • transportation

    Community Services Map helps you find local resources, including:

    • language support
    • employment and education
    • child care
    • food and shelter
    • health care services
    • legal assistance
    • government services
    • places of worship

    In the spring of 2023, Peel region experienced a sharp and unprecedented rise in the number of asylum claimants seeking emergency shelter and support services.

    Historically, asylum claimants made up just 4 to 5% of the shelter population. By late 2023, they accounted for approximately 71%, nearly three out of every four individuals in the system. This surge pushed Peel’s shelter capacity to over 400%, requiring Peel Region to secure overflow hotel spaces to meet the growing demand.

    While municipal shelters are designed to support individuals facing homelessness from a range of backgrounds and circumstances, they were not equipped to meet the volume or specific needs of asylum claimants, many of whom are fleeing war, violence, or persecution.

    To better support both groups, Peel Region created 2 distinct homelessness response systems:

    • Local homelessness response – includes shelters for youth, adults, and families in the Peel community. Learn more about our shelters.
    • Asylum claimant homelessness response – includes the Peel Reception Centre and hotel accommodations designated for asylum claimant families.

    This tailored approach allows for more appropriate and effective support for each population.

    Shelters regularly accept hygiene products (toothpaste, shampoo, bars of soap, body wash etc.), feminine hygiene products, socks and undergarments. We can only accept items for families and young children if they are brand new, in original packaging or with tags attached. If you would like to donate any of these items email us.

    Because of health and safety concerns, prepared food donations are only accepted under strict standards. 3 meals and snacks are provided to all shelter residents.

    If you are a landlord or an employer who would like to be connected to our pool of clients, email us.

    Peel Region Council reports related to Peel’s asylum claimant response are available.

    1. Regional Council Agenda (pg. 127-137) Feb 27, 2025
    2. Regional Council Agenda (pg. 196-204)
    3. Regional Council Agenda (pg. 116-123)
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