Refugees in the streets: a year later, the crisis is far from over according to a collective | Refugees on the streets in Toronto

A year ago, dozens of African refugees found themselves on the streets due to lack of space in shelters. Churches and community organizations had tried to pick up the slack. Since then, the situation has improved a little, but the refugee crisis is far from over, reports the Afro-Canadian Collective (ACC), a group of around twenty black organizations.

For the participants in this meeting, the priority clearly remains to facilitate access to housing.

You cannot start your life without housing. You can’t plan your life, find a job, submit an application… list Chemistry Jacobsdirector of Delta Family Resource Centrean organization that has existed since 1981 to support families in difficulty. And even once a first roof has been found. It’s very difficult to move.

Housing as a priority

Adi Yemane co-founded just a year ago, My Brother’s Keeperswhich provides meals to several hundred refugees every week. She also believes that housing is the priority.

But she also notes other needs such as access to a doctor or clothing. They come from very hot countries and do not have the appropriate clothes.

She finds that the crisis has allowed mutual aid groups to become better structured. We are more alert to what is happening. When we see someone, we write to each other on WhatsApp. We no longer know how to help new people.

Ms. Yemane would also like to see elected officials more involved. In governments, they know what is happening, but if they came to see what is happening, it is different, they would understand what we are asking.

A 10-year strategy being developed by the municipality

In an email to -, a spokesperson for the City of Toronto states that last year the Municipality allocated exceptional funding of $240,000 to Black-operated and Black-serving agencies to meet emergency and basic winter needs of asylum seekers.

Toronto also plans to launch a new ten-year plan in 2025 to combat anti-black racism and says it has conducted consultations with individuals and communities from April to October.

This should include measures concerning public health, housing and employment.

Long term, there is the idea of ​​a black-run shelterslips for his part Kemi Jacobs, from Delta Family Resource Centre.

With information from Jessica Chen