A Toronto advocate got the shock of her life when she walked into a make-shift shelter in the west end that’s used to house Black African refugees.
Youth shelter worker Ubah Idle, who has seen her fair share of hardships working with some of Toronto’s most vulnerable individuals, took to social media to share the nightmare living conditions happening right under everyone’s nose.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what I was walking into. I didn’t have the slightest idea until I got there,” Idle told Now Toronto.
“I went inside and saw all of the suitcases stacked from the floor to the ceiling. People were sleeping on the floor,” she continued.
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Idle shares that a member from the Pilgrims Feast Tabernacle, a non-profit organization located in Etobicoke, reached out to fellow community workers and leaders to share that they have taken in hundreds of refugees but were struggling to keep their make-shift shelter (an old TD Bank branch) up and running.
And to make matters worse, they say the space failed a city fire inspection and now refugees will have to be relocated as a result of the space not being up to code or safe to live in.
“I work in the Toronto shelter system, in and out of shelters all over the city, dealing with that vulnerable population, the homeless population. I have never seen these kinds of conditions in the shelter system. So, for this to be how we are housing our African refugees is just stomach wrenching. I just couldn’t stomach it,” she said.
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Idle’s own documented exploration of the space leaves no room to question why it was deemed unlivable by city officials as she herself agrees, however, she says the city needs to come up with a plan so that vulnerable people don’t find themselves in these precarious positions in the first place.
According to her, an entire plaza on Albion Road made it its mission to show up for these refugees. One restaurant gave up their basement to house more people in need and also took it upon themselves to consistently prepare meals and keep them fed.
That’s not all, Idle said that a clinic even joined forces to give refugees access to health services and also help them apply for OHIP.
And as incredible as these efforts are, she questions why the community is left to pick up the tab and labour in a big city that prides itself on being diverse and opening its doors to international residents.
Not to mention a city that was granted nearly $100 million to address the refugee crisis that made international headlines over the summer.
CITY SAYS IT MEETS WEEKLY WITH PILGRIMS FEAST TABERNACLE
Senior Communications Advisor with the City of Toronto Erin Whitton said officials continue to meet weekly with the Pilgrims Feast Tabernacle to provide advice and connect them to various support services.
“This is one of a handful of churches that stepped forward to provide temporary emergency shelter, food, clothing and a sense of community to many asylum claimants from African countries until more permanent solution could be arranged,” Whitton said.
Whitton noted that the city is thankful for the leadership and mobilization of Black-led community and faith organizations, and is currently reviewing applications for disbursement of funds that city council approved for churches and community organizations for their expenses incurred to provide shelter to claimants.
According to the city, it has provided Pilgrims Feast Tabernacle $150,000 to help address all their urgent expenses.
Idle shares that although financial support is great, there’s a larger issue at hand.
According to her, some refugees have contacted shelter workers and asked to come back to Toronto after being sent off to different parts of the province.
“That doesn’t help the problem either. Yes, there’s space for them in other places that are not Toronto but they are now requesting for us to bring them back because they don’t have a community there. That is taking a toll on their mental health,” she said.
“Here they’re more visible, especially since when they first came they all ended up at Peter Street downtown. That’s when they were the most visible and asking for help and making it very apparent that they’re all here.”
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