Episode 13: When a church became a homeless refugee shelter

Up until the summer of 2023, Canada’s biggest city, Toronto, operated a shelter system that accepted refugees and homeless Canadians. But as the number of refugees seeking temporary shelter surged, the deputy mayor at the time made a drastic decision. Toronto would no longer accept refugees in many of its city shelters.

Refugees, primarily Black and from Africa, found themselves with nowhere to turn. Some were forced to sleep on the streets. Others desperately sought any available shelter space. A few churches and organizations stepped in, but they were way in over their heads. 

In this episode, we focus on the Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles church, and how, with the help of the organizations like Woodgreen community services and a few brave individuals, they were able to pull off an operation that kept over 1500 refugees sheltered. 
This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

The NLS thanks participants who shared their insights on The New Canadian Voices podcast. We acknowledge that each experience is unique, and the perspectives shared here are reflective of the individuals we were engaging with.

New Canadian Voices

This podcast tells stories of newcomers and their challenges settling in Canada. We feature first-person settlement stories, as well as highlight experts and support workers associated with Local Immigration Partnerships across the country. The podcast is a published by the National Local Immigration Partnership Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

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