A key metropolis committee has endorsed almost $86 million in new spending to assist Toronto’s crowded shelter system, together with money to accommodate some refugees at a lodge in Vaughan.
Councillors on the overall authorities committee have accepted a bundle of latest, and renewed, non-competitive contracts metropolis employees mentioned are “essential” to assist the shelter system. Additionally they outlined the challenges of discovering even momentary house in native resorts for refugee claimants, who now account for over half of the folks in Toronto shelters.
The overall supervisor of town’s shelter and assist providers, Gord Tanner, mentioned the humanitarian disaster that has seen 1000’s of refugees arrive in Toronto continues. And town is struggling to deal with them in its present shelter system, he mentioned.
“That isn’t a scenario that has been resolved,” Tanner advised reporters earlier this week. “We welcome the assist of the federal authorities to handle a few of these points.”
Earlier this yr, the federal authorities offered $162 million in new funding to Toronto to assist cowl the price of housing 1000’s of asylum seekers and to assist low-income folks pay lease. That got here after a high-profile sport of brinksmanship between Ottawa and town’s funds chief.
Shelley Carroll threatened to call a particular tax levy after the Trudeau authorities with a purpose to pay for the refugee shelter prices after town’s pleas for assist went unanswered for months.
Final month’s federal funds dedicated $1.1 billion over three years to assist present interim housing for asylum claimants, conditional on provincial and municipal assist.
“The federal authorities is working with all orders of presidency to search out long-term options to forestall asylum seekers from experiencing homelessness,” the funds mentioned.
As much as half of latest funding may qualify for federal program
At metropolis corridor earlier this week, Tanner advised the overall authorities committee that he expects half of the accepted funds can be eligible for reimbursement from the federal authorities. However he additionally acknowledged the problem of housing the now greater than 6,350 refugees.
Over 4,300 are within the metropolis’s shelter system, whereas a further 2,000 persons are in a “bridging program” in native resorts.
Coun. Jon Burnside requested Tanner why a type of resorts is positioned in Vaughan, whereas acknowledging that it lies simply over town boundary line north of Steeles Avenue.
“How far outdoors of town would you look?” he mentioned of the hunt for house. “I do know it is a few block, however would you look as much as Caledon or Orangeville?”
“That is an anomaly for us to be on the lookout for rooms in Vaughan,” Tanner mentioned. “But it surely’s as a result of unavailability of lodge rooms right here in Toronto.”
Tanner mentioned households are usually staying six months within the shelter resorts till they’re in a position to transition to housing of their very own.
The town has been leasing house within the lodge since April 2023, and 19 households, 14 of that are refugee claimants, are staying there.
Bridging program does not provide wrap-around helps
Coun. Lily Cheng pressed Tanner in regards to the nature of the bridging program, asking how these 2,000 areas are completely different from the ten,000 spots within the metropolis’s conventional homeless shelter system.
“So, it is form of an extension of our shelters, particularly in the event that they’re staying for six months,” she mentioned. “It seems like a shelter.”
Tanner mentioned the almost 600 households in shelter resorts do not have entry to wrap-around helps provided in shelters.
The committee has endorsed the spending, however it’ll nonetheless want approval from metropolis council later this month to maneuver ahead.
Mayor Olivia Chow mentioned Thursday the battle to accommodate the big inflow of refugees will proceed to place a pressure on metropolis assets for the foreseeable future. Layered onto that’s the crunch for lodge rooms as Toronto’s peak summer time tourism season approaches.
“A lodge is an costly approach to go, however we now have no alternate options,” Chow mentioned. “And as we method the tourism season, we won’t discover sufficient resorts, which is why you are seeing the contract in there.”
