‘We can’t fund this’: City responds to funding changes for asylum claimants

The City of Windsor has spoken out against asylum claimant funding changes, saying it can't fund it. CTV Windsor's Bob Bellacicco has the details.

The City of Windsor has released a stern message as the federal government gets set to stop funding the Interim Housing Assistance Program for asylum claimants.

“We can’t fund this, and we won’t,” said Andrew Daher, city commissioner of human and health services.

He pointed out to media during a news conference that 846 departure notices were handed out by the government for January, February and March.

“About 191 of those folks have been taken care of in January, so we’re left with roughly 600 or so folks that are going to get a letter, it will be effective Feb. 3 and then March 3,” Daher said.

The housing assistance program provides food and shelter for claimants. The government is changing the funding model, shifting responsibility to municipalities and provinces.

“This places significant pressure back on the city’s emergency shelter system,” noted Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.

“While we have been told by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) that no families and children will be left on the streets and that exceptions will be made until such time that accommodations can be found, but what about the rest of the folks?”

Money will be available through the IRCC, but it starts with an increasing cost-sharing model and ends with full funding for municipalities.

According to the UHC, three cities in Ontario recently declared food insecurity is in a state of emergency. Stakeholders in our area worry that an overflow of people looking for help heading into the spring months will overwhelm food banks as they continue to struggle to keep up.

“Absolutely. It’s going to put pressure on food banks because where are they going to go to get food? Where are they going to go to get help?” wondered June Muir, president of the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association.

She said over 230,000 people visited our food banks last year and anticipates many first-time users in need of food and employment.

“We’re going to be there to help them,” Muir told CTV News.

“We do have a resource and information center where we can direct them to help them find a job if they have a work permit and that’s what we’ll be doing.”