What benefits (housing, health, income) are included in Ontario's assistance for refugees on arrival in 2024?

1. What “income” support looks like on arrival — federal RAP basics

The federal Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) provides a one‑time start‑up payment to help set up a home and monthly income support for shelter and basic needs generally for up to one year or until the refugee can support themself; the monthly level is usually based on the prevailing provincial social assistance rates where the refugee settles and RAP rates were updated effective Sept. 1, 2024 ^{[1] [2] [6]}.

2. Housing on arrival — temporary and transitional supports

IRCC and its provincial/municipal partners fund temporary accommodation and assistance finding permanent housing: government‑operated reception centres, hotel or hostel placements and local settlement agencies handle immediate shelter needs while programs such as the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) and other federal transfers fund jurisdictions (Ontario municipalities received large IHAP funding and Budget 2024 added $1.1 billion over three years to extend IHAP) ^{[7] [3]}.

3. Health coverage and medical supports — who is covered and how

Health coverage depends on the refugee stream: resettled refugees and some protected permanent residents can be eligible for provincial health plans (e.g., OHIP) and all asylum claimants and refugees have interim options under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) while IRCC continues to review IFHP benefits to meet distinct needs ^{[4] [8]}. Local providers and clinics in Ontario also deliver primary care and mental health referrals as part of settlement services ^{[9] [10]}.

4. Settlement services beyond cash — orientation, referrals and local delivery

RAP’s “immediate and essential services” are delivered by Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) in the first weeks after arrival and include basic orientation, needs assessment, referrals, help with documentation, language supports and links to longer‑term settlement programming funded by IRCC and provincial partners ^{[11] [3] [5]}.

5. Differences by pathway — government‑assisted, privately sponsored, asylum claimants

Entitlements differ by how a refugee arrives: Government‑Assisted Refugees (GARs) receive RAP income and essential services; Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs) become permanent residents on arrival and are usually covered by sponsors for the first year (and are typically eligible for provincial health coverage) but are not entitled to Ontario Works or subsidized housing while sponsorship is in effect per WelcomeOntario guidance; asylum claimants may access Ontario Works or IFHP depending on status and eligibility ^{[6] [4] [12] [13]}.

6. Dollar figures and public debates — costs vs. cash received

Public reporting and fact checks note that some media and social posts conflate per‑person institutional housing costs (e.g., hotel room/night) with direct cash benefits to individuals; IRCC’s reported accommodation & meal costs used in some calculations do not equate to money handed to refugees — RAP monthly income is tied to social assistance rates and start‑up payments are one‑time sums, while institutional housing costs to the government are reported separately ^{[14] [6] [1]}.

7. Municipal and NGO roles in Ontario — frontline delivery and gaps

Municipalities (Toronto, Peel, Ottawa) and settlement agencies such as COSTI and OCASI coordinate reception, hostel accommodation, intake and ongoing housing support and run clinics and programming; advocacy groups note funding pressures and service gaps and have called for sustained provincial/federal investment in settlement, language and health supports ^{[5] [10] [15]}.

8. What the sources don’t say / limitations of the reporting

Available sources outline program types, services and funding flows, and note RAP rate changes, but they do not publish a single, comprehensive itemized list tying specific 2024 dollar amounts for every benefit (housing, health, income) per refugee household across all Ontario municipalities — exact monthly RAP disbursements depend on family size and provincial social assistance benchmarks and must be checked in IRCC or provincial rate tables ^{[2] [6]}.

If you want, I can pull the current RAP rate table and sample Ontario monthly amounts for typical household sizes (single, couple, family of four) and show how those combine with Canada/Ontario child benefits and municipal housing supports to form a fuller picture using the sources above.