African community leaders call for more mental health supports after Kenyan refugee dies at Toronto shelter

Kenyan community elder Rev. Sue Karanja, left, Rev. Eddie Jjumba. of Milliken Church, and Kizito Musabimana, chair of the African Canadian Collective, at a May 14 vigil for Edwin Kiplagat at Willowdale Welcome Centre.(Supplied)

A Kenyan refugee who died at a shelter in North York late last month should have received more mental health support, says the Kenyan community along with a group working to advance the rights, dignity, and well-being of African refugees in Canada.

Edwin Kiplagat, a 32-year-old husband and father of two, died on April 30 at the Willowdale Welcome Centre, a City of Toronto shelter specifically for refugees to Canada. The facility opened in late 2019 and has 155 beds for women and 80 beds for men.

Kiplagat, who was a resident of the town of Iten in western Kenya’s Elgeyo Marakwet county, came to Canada in September 2023 in search of a better life for his family. Sadly, life here proved to be a significant challenge for Kiplagat, who had been unable to secure stable housing and work.

On Wednesday evening, a vigil was held at the shelter in his honour for clients and staff.

The wider community is invited to attend a memorial service for Kiplagat today from 2 to 6 p.m. at Dominion Church at 2256 Sheppard Ave W. in North York.

The service, which is being organized with the support of Kiplagat’s family, is intended to be both a tribute to his life as well as a call for urgent, community-led mental health support for African refugees and asylum seekers.

Man’s death ‘part of a troubling pattern affecting African refugee communities’

Calling the man’s death “part of a troubling pattern affecting African refugee communities,” Rev. Eddie Jjumba, co-chair of the African Canadian Collective, said there’s a need to “see the individual beyond the bed.”

Jjumba, who is also the senior pastor of Milliken Church in Markham, said once a refugee arrives at a shelter and gets their basic emergency needs met, there must be more done to ensure they have timely opportunities to become productive members of society, so their mental health doesn’t deteriorate.

“It seems like more could be done, especially when you see individuals behaving in a manner that is a few steps away from the grave,” said Jjumba, who said he is aware of at least three residents of the Willowdale Welcome Centre who passed away from mental health-related causes since the onset of the African refugee crisis in the summer of 2023.

“More could be done to support these people, but it needs to be culturally appropriate, and we need to look more at root causes.”

Jjumba said it isn’t a question of blaming one level of government or another, but instead, there’s a need for government and community partners to come together and think holistically to offer newcomer African refugees a “hand up.”

“In Africa we say, where two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. … I think we need a collaborative approach … for people who are homeless, the trajectory can be so different,” he said.

”As a community we carry guilt. We wonder if we could be doing more to help our struggling brothers and sisters.”

Kenyan newcomer community in ‘crisis,’ says local leader

Rev. Sue Karanja is a well-known community leader and a mother figure to many in the local Kenyan community.

She told CP24 that it’s “really painful” that yet another refugee from her homeland has died from something so preventable.

“The Kenyan community has been facing lots of challenges. It’s pretty hard. It’s a crisis,” said Karanja, who has been on the frontlines of this crisis since Day 1 helping scores of people here and supporting their families back home.

“I’m overwhelmed, honestly.”

Karanja, who is also the founder of North York’s Royal Chapel Worldwide Ministries, said she’s aware of about four or five Kenyan refugees in the GTA who have passed in the last three or so years from mental health and addiction issues.

“When they get here, their dreams get shattered so the mental health creeps in. … The supports are so limited and the system is so rigid. The opportunities should be achievable,” she said.

“We need a strategy. We need help.”

Karanja said there needs to be a proper structure in place so that African refugees can successfully transition into society.

In a written statement, the City of Toronto said it is “saddened to learn of the death of a person experiencing homelessness at the shelter located at 5800 Yonge St.”

“We have been in close contact with Homes First, who manages the site, since the death took place. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, friends, Black community members and staff who are mourning this loss,” spokesperson Eric Holmes said on Friday afternoon.

“Homelessness continues to be a public health crisis, with the need for more health and mental health care services and supports to meet the complex needs of the people we serve, including refugee claimants arriving in this country. We continue to partner and advocate for these services to help ensure that anyone experiencing homelessness gets the support they need.”

Holmes said aside from holding a vigil, Homes First is also hosting “ongoing debriefing and support sessions for both staff and clients.

He added that the city works with several partners including Inner City Health Associates (ICHA), LOFT Community Services, Parkdale Queen West Community Health Care Centre, Toronto Neighbourhood Group (TNG), and Toronto Public Health to offer both primary and mental health care services in shelter settings.

At 5800 Yonge St. specifically, staff work closely with ICHA who have physicians onsite twice weekly, he said. Those doctors can refer clients to ICHA’s psychiatrist, Holmes noted.

He added that staff at that shelter also work with TNG, which provides onsite clinics twice a week for substance use and mental health services.

 “Homes First Enhanced Services and Programming staff can also support clients to connect with other services in the community,” he said.

“Even with this work and partnerships across the shelter system, the scale of need for health and mental health care services and supports for people experiencing homelessness continues to grow. We continue to advocate for greater investment in these services.”

Humber River-Black Creek MPP Tom Rakocevic has been a long-time advocate for better supporting African refugees and asylum-seekers.

He said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of Kiplagat’s “heartbreaking story.”

“Like so many others, Mr. Kiplagat came to Canada in search of a better life, but his story ended in a tragedy. His passing is a painful reminder of how the most vulnerable members of our community are impacted by systemic gaps in care and support,” Rakocevic said.

“My deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones, and I commend the Kenyan community and local faith leaders for the tremendous compassion and support they are extending to his family during this difficult time.”

Efforts are now underway to repatriate Kiplagat’s body back to Kenya and assist his family.