Shelter for asylum seekers needed in London, advocates say
A Windsor, Ont., program that offers immediate shelter to asylum seekers should be replicated in London to prevent refugees from ending up in homeless shelters, advocates say.
"These are people who are hungry to rebuild their lives and our communities need people like that," said Mike Morency, executive director of Matthew House, a welcome centre for refugees in Windsor.
The centre houses around 126 people at a time and provides settlement services.
"From arrival right on through, we use a wraparound model," he said.
Asylum claimants leave their home country to seek safety and apply for refugee status after they arrive. A report being presented to city politicians next week analysed data between May 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, and shows 123 asylum seekers stayed in London's homeless shelters during that period.
That represents 12 per cent of emergency shelter bed usage, though city staff say in the report the numbers could be much higher because some people might not disclose they're asylum claimants.
"The number of asylum claimants who were staying with relatives, friends or other temporary sheltering locations is unknown," the report states.
Shelters often full
People often arrive in London knowing a relative or friend, but don't have work permits or visas and need help getting settled, said Harkamal Singh, a London immigration lawyer.
"I've had some clients who have had to sleep in their cars because relatives can no longer keep housing them," Singh said. "Getting a bed in the shelters can be difficult because the shelters are full quite often. Having shelter is the most important thing."
Mike Morency is executive director of Matthew House Refugee Welcome Centre in Windsor, Ont. (Amy Dodge/CBC)
Having something similar to Matthew House in London would benefit refugees coming here, Singh said.
London does have a shelter for government-assisted refugees, run by the Cross Cultural Learner Centre. Those refugees already have paperwork processed to begin their life in Canada before they arrive.
Before the pandemic, Windsor's Matthew House helped about a dozen people from London every year, including in their search for an immigration lawyer or to connect them to health care or other immigration services. Now, they connect virtually with about 12 people a month, Morency said.
"Sometimes it's six or seven people a week," he said. "We've been exploring for the last three months opportunities to provide a physical presence in London but we're donor-funded and we'd need to have support from the municipality and from donors."
Having a shelter dedicated to refugees would take the pressure off homeless shelters, Morency added. "Having specialized support and a safe landing space produces extremely good results. We see people employed within seven days of getting their work permit."
Asylum seekers arrive ready to get on with their new lives in Canada and do better if they get the proper services within the first three to six months, he said.
"The reality is that people are coming here because they are truly unsafe," he said. "They're not illegal immigrants, they're not illegal migrants, they are people who are fleeing horrific circumstances who just want to rebuild their lives."
