Mayor Chow successfully secured $97 Million federal funding for refugees and asylum seekers this week.
A special and final update of the 2022-2026 City Council term.
Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers
This week Mayor Chow announced that she negotiated with the federal government for $97 million in funding towards their obligations to provide support to refugees and asylum seekers.
Additionally the city and province each contributed $6.67 million towards the Housing Benefit, which will allow 1,350 households to find permanent housing. The federal government has historically contributed to this fund as well, but did not match the city and province’s additional contributions.
The city is immediately opening 150 new beds, primarily through leasing hotel space and will soon open an additional 100 beds.
The shelter system currently supports 3,100 refugees within its approximately 9,000 spaces. Additional support from all levels of government will be needed to match the organizing and support that we’ve seen from private citizens, charities, non-profit organizations, and faith groups.
I want to thank Mayor Chow for her strong leadership on this issue, as well as the many people who stepped up to provide support over the past few days. This plan was unanimously supported by Council. I hope that is a sign that our new Mayor can unite Council behind a shared vision to help those in need, improve city services and make life more affordable and safe.
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