Providing Transitional Housing for Asylum Seekers

RENEW is working closely with a Toronto-based real estate developer to bring vacant housing units into active use as transitional housing for newcomers.

The developer acquired several residential units in downtown Toronto for future redevelopment. Given current real estate market conditions, these units could otherwise have remained vacant for an extended period. RENEW head-leases the units and sublets them to asylum seekers who are enrolled in local settlement programs, creating safe, stable transitional housing while longer-term solutions are pursued.

RENEW has partnered with several settlement agencies to help identify individuals and families well suited for this pilot program. These newcomers are hard-working, resilient people who aspire to build permanent, productive lives in Canada. We are honoured to support them and believe that stable housing provides a critical platform from which they can pursue employment, education, and full participation in Canadian society.

All current participants in this program are actively employed and working to fully support themselves and their families. The program operates without housing subsidies or government funding, reinforcing its focus on dignity, independence, and long-term self-sufficiency.

This program enables participants to move out of temporary shelter environments and into private apartments, while settlement agencies continue to provide the services and supports needed to help them become self-sustaining. These transitional housing units are not subject to the Residential Tenancies Act.

In 2025, RENEW supported seven newcomers through this successful pilot program and is working toward expanding the initiative in 2026.

If your organization has access to apartments or houses that will remain vacant pending redevelopment, we invite you to contact RENEW at: info@renewhousing.ca.