Toronto promising help for refugee claimants sleeping on floor in strip mall units

The plight of hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers remains unresolved in Toronto but the city says it is sending some support.

Multiple units in a strip mall on Albion Road have been transformed into living quarters where 145 refugees have been sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles tells CityNews they’ve spent $200,000, maxing out their personal credit cards to provide basic essentials, like food, shelter and medication to care for asylum seekers, who would otherwise be sleeping on the street.

Mayor Olivia Chow expressed her gratitude Friday to the six churches that have taken in and provided shelter to the refugees. Three of the churches have received $50,000 each from the city but she notes “it doesn’t go all the way.”

“We are providing some funding to support them so that they can, at least in the short term, manage it,” said Chow. “In two of those churches we are providing six staff to be the liaison with them and we will have a more comprehensive plan as we go forward.”

Chow pointed out that of the 10,000 people in the city’s shelter system, 3,300 of them are refugees, adding that every day half the people coming to Toronto shelters are refugees.

“We can’t do it alone. We’re grateful for all the volunteers and all the people who have stepped up and we’re also asking the provincial and federal governments to join with the city. I hope they will step up soon so we can provide a long-term solution for the refugees,” said Chow.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford acknowledged the issue on Friday but stopped short of offering any additional funding.

“We have thousands, tens of thousands of people. I have people in my own riding – asylum seekers, new refugees coming here – who are sleeping in church basements, sleeping in an old TD bank. That’s unacceptable,” said Ford.

The city and province recently announced a joint $14 million effort to permanently house more than 1,300 people who are in the shelter system.

The federal government has already committed $97 million to provide interim housing to Toronto’s asylum seekers. But city councillors say $157 million is needed to cover the costs of supporting existing refugee claimants in the shelter system.