Canada needs a national strategy for homeless refugee claimants

By Christina Clark-Kazak, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

One year after the federal government closed Roxham Road, refugee claims in Canada continue to increase: there were 143,785 in 2023 compared to 91,730 in 2022.

The surprise announcement in March 2023 to modify Canada’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States was touted as a way to “better manage access to the refugee system.”

Instead, the past year has seen deaths at irregular crossings, increased asylum claims at airports (not covered by the modified agreement) and soaring refugee claimant homelessness across Canada.

Gaps in housing for refugee claimants

People fleeing persecution have the right to claim asylum in Canada. Resettled refugees arriving through government assisted or private sponsorship routes receive housing, orientation and settlement support.

In contrast, federal, provincial and municipal governments do not have a systematic way to welcome refugee claimants. There is no co-ordinated, funded national plan.

Consequently, a disproportionate number of refugee claimants end up in emergency shelters. The City of Toronto recorded a 500 per cent increase in refugee claimants in shelters from 2021 to 2023. The City of Ottawa has recently opened up three temporary emergency shelters and the Ottawa Mission reports record numbers of newcomers accessing its services.

Shelters run by non-profit organizations across Vancouver indicate that 60 to 85 per cent of their beds were occupied by refugee claimants.

When these shelters are full, refugee claimants are pushed onto the streets. The sharp increase in homelessness of refugee claimants across the country highlights the pressing need for a more sustainable system to protect refugee claimants’ rights to asylum and housing.

The recent death of Kenyan asylum-seeker Delphine Ngigi while waiting for a shelter spot underscores the tragic human costs of current policy failures.

https://twitter.com/PulseLiveKenya/status/1761391725786882218?t=hDqD2Dtiwl6ZiHyfX30b8Q&s=19

Promising approaches

Some non-governmental organizations across Canada provide transitional housing and wrap-around settlement support to newly arrived refugee claimants.

Our research, in collaboration with scholars Delphine Nakache and Azar Masoumi, has mapped out a patchwork of these organizations across the country, mostly in large urban centres.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/canada-needs-a-national-strategy-for-homeless-refugee-claimants-226481