Opinion: Refugee claimants in Ottawa need not be homeless

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Last week, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe posted a video claiming that the “vast majority” of residents in the city’s emergency shelters are new arrivals, mostly people seeking asylum in Canada.

“The people arriving in our city are escaping war and poverty and violence … and a city like Ottawa doesn’t have the resources to tackle this on our own,” the mayor said. “That’s why we need support from the federal government to resolve this challenge.”

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This is true, and money is definitely needed, but it is only part of the solution. A coordinated, community-focused plan is what our city and many others across Canada need right now to address homelessness among newcomers.

The good news is, we know what to do and it wouldn’t take long to get it done.

Around the world there are more than 110 million forcibly displaced people, a number expected to reach 130 million by the end of this year. Canada will never receive a large percentage of asylum seekers, but our numbers are growing. In 2022 more than 92,000 people filed refugee claims in Canada, and last year it was nearly 144,000.

More refugee claimants arriving in Canada does not automatically lead to more homelessness.

Yes, we need more housing in Canada, but claimants are not ending up in shelters due to a lack of housing alone. They end up homeless because when they first arrive in Canada they are not connected to the information and expertise that would get them started and support them along the way.

This is not the case for other refugees. Canada is a global leader in resettling refugees through its Government-Assisted Refugee and Private Sponsorship programs, both of which ensure that eligible refugees — that is, people approved even before they enter Canada — are provided with housing, information and social and logistical support from the moment they land here. It’s not a perfect system but it is better than no system, which is pretty much what those legally claiming asylum after they arrive in Canada experience: no national program, no official federal funding for services, no coordinated support, no plan.

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Instead, it is up to grassroots organizations working mostly with private donors to try to fill the gaps. Transitional shelters such as Matthew House Ottawa, Carty House, Stepstone House and others divert newly arrived claimants from homelessness by providing a bed, food and settlement information until refugee claimants are able to sustain themselves — often within a few months. Diaspora communities and other service providers lend crucial additional support. If they get the help they need when they need it, many refugee claimants can be housed and working, paying taxes and bringing their talent and drive to our communities as fast or even faster than other immigrants and refugees.

Beyond the much higher expense of a bed in a large emergency shelter, homelessness is costly in terms of damage to physical and mental health and the increased burden on public services overall. An extended stay in a homeless shelter can be much more expensive than accommodating someone in a transitional shelter, which provides more private accommodation, shared kitchens and other facilities, and trained staff to help people navigate the claims process and adapt to Canadian life.