An “influx” of asylum seekers in London, Ont., is putting pressure on the city’s emergency shelter system and the issue appears to be worsening.
According to a report, at least 11.91 per cent of emergency permanent shelter bed usage between last May and the end of March went towards asylum claimants, at a cost of $1,070,316.
Because of high demand, the city’s shelters have been operating over capacity, meaning it’s likely there are even more asylum claimants living unsheltered, the report added. As well, the data is based on self-reporting, so it’s possible numbers are higher if people decide not to disclose that they are seeking asylum. City staff also said the number of unhoused asylum seekers staying with relatives or friends is unknown.
Additionally, the city is also facing increasing costs for short-term hotel rooms for asylum claimant families until space is freed up at the Rotholme family shelter, which has 20 rooms that account for 64 of the city’s 306 permanent system spaces.
While the federal government has been helping to temporarily pay for hotels and meals for asylum seekers initially coming in through Toronto, Windsor, Ottawa and Niagara Falls, London has found its shelter system under pressure as people relocate here.
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“The emergency shelter system in Toronto has reached capacity, and some individuals choose to relocate to London due to proximity for alternative housing options and support. Additionally, some may have connections to friends, family, services and faith group supports already in the area, making it a natural choice for them to seek refuge and support in London,” the report reads.
“As a result, beginning in the late spring of 2023 London has seen an increase of individuals identifying as asylum claimants attending the London’s emergency shelter system, as well as an increase in interactions with community outreach supports in unsheltered situations.”
Complicating matters is the fact that asylum claimants are “generally ineligible” for federal income and housing funds while their claim is being processed, city staff added.
City staff are in the process of applying for federal funding through the Interim Housing Assistance Program, which works on a claim-based process but it appears it may be too late to secure funding for 2023-24.
“I do find it, frankly, a bit troublesome that the federal government has chosen to put a deadline on these applications,” Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said during Monday’s committee meeting.
“Asylum seekers are continuing to enter the country every day, and we continue to be in a housing crisis. So I think that while obviously we should help those seeking asylum, that’s the federal government’s role.”
Mayor Josh Morgan said it’s not productive to point fingers.
“We know asylum seekers are here. We know they need to be provided with services. We know the federal government has the capacity to do that. And it’d be my intention to work in partnership with them.”
Craig Cooper, the city’s director of housing stability services, explained that the pressures posed by an increase in asylum seekers really started mounting earlier this year.
“We did include from January to March versus just the 2023 year as we were seeing a trend of that increasing. We wanted to bring that data back to council and committee first before finalizing any reach out to the federal government.”
Cooper said the IHAP funding has been around for a few years and that city staff is focusing on understanding the application process and connection process with the federal Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to understand if there are any opportunities for 2023-24 funding and to make sure they’re in a good position for next year.
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