The City of Toronto’s 2021 Street Needs Assessment estimated that 7,347 people were experiencing homelessness in the city on the night of April 21, 2021, down 16 percent from 8,715 in 2018. The count is a one-night estimate made by the City’s Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA), repeated in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2018, and 2021, and it remains the City’s main published measure of the number of people without housing.
Old web posts on this topic mixed opinion with unsourced numbers. This page reports only what the City’s 2021 results report states: the counts, how they were made, who was counted, the reasons people gave, and the limits of the data. A later count may exist, so the City of Toronto’s website is the place to check for newer figures.
How the count is done
The Street Needs Assessment (SNA) is a point-in-time count and survey. For 2021, the City’s report says the indoor and outdoor count took place on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, and the surveys were carried out between April 19 and 27. Both the federal and provincial governments set a standard set of survey questions so that communities can compare results. The City defines homelessness for the SNA as anyone who, on the night of April 21, 2021, was sleeping outdoors or staying in City-administered emergency or transitional shelters, shelter motels and hotels (including COVID-19 response and isolation sites), 24-hour respite sites, provincially administered Violence Against Women shelters, health, crisis, or treatment facilities, or correctional facilities where the person listed no fixed address or a known shelter as the previous residence.
The report cautions that the 2021 count took place at the peak of the third wave of COVID-19, when about 20 shelter programs were in outbreak status, and that the pandemic changed who was in the shelter system. It also says other jurisdictions use somewhat different methods and definitions, so absolute numbers are not directly comparable between cities.
The counts since 2006
| Year | Outdoors (estimate) | Indoors (count) | Total estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 648 | 4,234 | 4,882 |
| 2009 | 253 | 4,807 | 5,060 |
| 2013 | 227 | 4,806 | 5,033 |
| 2018 | 533 | 8,182 | 8,715 |
| 2021 | 742 | 6,605 | 7,347 |
The City attributes most of the fall from 2018 to 2021 to fewer refugee families in the shelter system because of COVID-19 border restrictions. People staying in refugee response programs fell from 2,618 in 2018 to 90 in 2021. At the same time, the number of people in non-refugee shelter programs rose from 4,536 to 5,720 because of the City’s COVID-19 response, which included temporary hotel and motel sites. Outdoor homelessness rose from 533 to 742.
Where people were staying on April 21, 2021
| Setting | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoors, including encampments | 742 | 10 percent |
| City-administered sites (total) | 5,810 | 79 percent |
| Violence Against Women shelters | 270 | 4 percent |
| Health and treatment facilities | 253 | 3 percent |
| Correctional facilities | 272 | 4 percent |
| Total | 7,347 | 100 percent |
Within the City-administered total, base emergency shelters and overnight services held 3,068 people and COVID-19 response sites held 2,609. The report says the shelter system provides more than 6,000 spaces across more than 100 locations operated by the City and funded community partners. It also says the City moved 5,518 people from the shelter system into permanent housing between April 2020 and April 2021.
Who was counted
The report’s profile of survey respondents includes these findings. They describe respondents, not every person counted.
- Men were 63 percent of respondents and women 34 percent. The average age was 43, with seniors (60 and older) at 15 percent.
- Almost 60 percent identified as members of racialized groups, and 31 percent identified as Black.
- Indigenous people were 15 percent of people experiencing homelessness. The report says they represent up to 2.5 percent of Toronto’s population, and 23 percent of people staying outdoors were Indigenous.
- Seventy-seven percent were chronically homeless, meaning homeless for six months or more in the past year.
- Seventy-six percent reported at least one health challenge; half reported a mental health issue and 42 percent a substance use issue.
- Ten percent had lived in Toronto for less than one year.
Reasons given and what respondents said would help
Not enough income for housing was the most frequently reported reason for housing loss, named by 19 percent of respondents. The next reasons were landlord and tenant conflict (8 percent), unfit or unsafe housing conditions (8 percent), and a substance use issue (7 percent). About 80 percent of respondents named affordability or income supports, such as more affordable housing, a housing allowance, higher social assistance rates, or help finding work, as the most important help in finding housing.
The report ties this to rents: in the preceding ten years, average market rent for a one-bedroom unit had risen 51 percent, while Ontario Works shelter benefit rates had risen 7 percent, and the gap between the Ontario Works shelter benefit and rent grew from $585 in 2010 to $1,041 in 2021. For wider figures on housing and immigration across Canadian cities, see Toronto compared with other Canadian cities.
Frequently asked questions
How many people are homeless in Toronto?
The City’s 2021 Street Needs Assessment estimated 7,347 people on April 21, 2021. That is a one-night estimate, and a newer count may have been published since.
Has homelessness in Toronto been rising?
The estimates were 4,882 in 2006, 5,060 in 2009, 5,033 in 2013, 8,715 in 2018, and 7,347 in 2021. The outdoor estimate rose from 533 in 2018 to 742 in 2021.
What is the main reason people give for losing housing?
Not having enough income for housing, named by 19 percent of respondents in the 2021 survey.
Where can someone who needs shelter get help?
The City of Toronto directs people to call 311 or Central Intake at 416-338-4766 for emergency shelter, and to call 311 for street outreach. Check the City’s homeless help page for current details.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- City of Toronto, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, 2021 Street Needs Assessment: Results Report: the City of Toronto website (PDF)
- City of Toronto, Street Needs Assessment 2021: Summary of Results, October 2021 (PDF)
- City of Toronto, “Homeless Help”
Related reading
- Regent Park: history of the neighbourhood
- St. James Town: history of the neighbourhood
- Toronto mayors and municipal elections
- Postwar immigration to Toronto
- Living in Toronto: city services, universities and the economy
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 25). Homelessness in Toronto: What the City’s Counts Show. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/homelessness-in-toronto-street-needs-assessment
MLA: “Homelessness in Toronto: What the City’s Counts Show.” History of Toronto, 25 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/homelessness-in-toronto-street-needs-assessment. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Homelessness in Toronto: What the City’s Counts Show.” Last modified October 25, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/homelessness-in-toronto-street-needs-assessment.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.