A recent report from United Way Greater Toronto shines light on the experiences of African asylum seekers after the 2023 shelter crisis, exposing systemic racism in housing, employment, and services while underscoring the crucial role of Black-led organizations. Centring lived experience, the research calls for stronger programs, more funding for frontline organizations, and urgent policy reform.
The summer of 2023 marked a turning point for Canada’s asylum system. Images of African asylum seekers sleeping outside Toronto’s shelter intake offices sparked outrage and urgency. As public attention grew, United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT) stepped into action, moving beyond crisis relief to long-term planning.
Initially, UWGT funded 42 emergency projects led largely by Black-led and Black-serving organizations. These grassroots groups mobilized quickly, offering food, clothing, temporary shelter, and essential support when government systems faltered. Yet as Adaoma Patterson, UWGT’s Director of Community Impact, explains, it became clear that the voices of asylum seekers themselves were missing from the narrative.
In partnership with the Centre for Community-Based Research, UWGT launched a six-month study guided by a community advisory table. The resulting report, Understanding the Experiences of African Asylum Seekers, captures the lived realities of 29 asylum seekers and nine service providers across Toronto, Peel, and York Region.
Anti-Black racism as a throughline
The findings are stark. Participants described systemic anti-Black racism at every stage of resettlement:
- Housing discrimination: One participant reported being turned away from an apartment they believed was denied on racial grounds. Others described exploitation, including 16 people crammed into a single unit, charged exorbitant rent.
- Employment bias: Skilled professionals faced systemic barriers, with some explicitly told they would not be hired because they were African or Black.
- Service inequities: Many experienced dismissive treatment, long wait times, or culturally inappropriate services, exacerbating trauma and instability.
These patterns echo broader research on anti-Black racism in Canada’s housing and labour markets, including findings from the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Black Experience Project.
The mental health crisis
The journey to Canada often involves harrowing experiences — crossing dangerous terrain, hiding in cargo ships, or fleeing persecution with no certainty of safety. Once here, asylum seekers continue to face immense stress, from prolonged shelter stays to uncertain immigration outcomes.
Culturally relevant mental health services remain underfunded and inaccessible. Waitlists are long, and trauma-informed care tailored to African communities is scarce. Black-led organizations, such as CAFCAN Social Services and African Community Services of Peel, have stepped in, offering counselling, peer support, and navigation through the healthcare system. But as Patterson notes, “It’s still a gap, and it was acknowledged in the report.”
This issue is compounded for vulnerable groups such as 2SLGBTQ+ asylum seekers, who often flee persecution in their home countries only to face additional discrimination in Canada.
Relocation and the limits of “solutions”
With Toronto’s shelters overwhelmed, the federal government relocated some asylum seekers to smaller communities such as Cornwall and Niagara. While intended to ease urban pressures, this strategy brought new challenges:
- Smaller towns often lacked the infrastructure and social services to support newcomers.
- Asylum seekers reported racism and community pushback in these areas.
- Relocation disrupted social ties to churches, mosques, and support networks they had begun building in the GTA.
One interviewee who resettled in Cornwall described positive outcomes in accessing jobs. Yet for many others, relocation deepened isolation and instability, demonstrating that dispersal policies are no substitute for systemic reform.
Gentrification, poverty, and the housing squeeze
The asylum seeker crisis intersects with a longer-standing challenge in Toronto: gentrification. Communities that once served as landing places for newcomers — such as Regent Park, Jane and Finch, and Scarborough — face displacement pressures from rising rents and condo development.
UWGT has committed to a ten-year neighbourhood strategy, investing in 10 priority areas across Toronto, Peel, and York. The initiative aims to strengthen local economies, civic participation, and affordable housing options while addressing systemic poverty.
The role of Black-led and faith-based organizations
From the earliest days of the crisis, Black-led organizations were the first to sound the alarm. Leaders like Pastor Eddie Jumba of Dominion Church and advocacy networks, such as the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), demanded urgent action.
Grassroots collaborations proved especially powerful. In one initiative, a consortium of organizations — including CAFCAN, Caribbean African Canadian Social Services, and smaller groups like the Shashemi Foundation — hosted weekly gatherings for women in Scarborough shelters. These safe spaces provided hot meals, clothing, mental health support, spa services, and skills training, offering dignity and hope in a moment of upheaval.
UWGT has since pledged long-term funding to CAFCAN and African Community Services of Peel to serve 200 asylum seekers over the next year. Beyond direct service delivery, the agencies will document their care models, creating a blueprint for culturally specific, trauma-informed support that can inform future crises.
Lived experience at the centre
What sets this report apart is its centring of lived experience. Rather than relying solely on service providers or policymakers, researchers spoke directly with asylum seekers. This qualitative approach revealed recurring themes of racism, trauma, and resilience that numbers alone could not capture.
By elevating asylum seekers’ voices, the report challenges mainstream organizations to adopt trauma-informed practices and hire staff with lived experience. It also underscores the importance of co-design — involving those most affected in shaping programs and policies.
Systemic fragmentation and policy gaps
A recurring barrier identified is fragmentation across the three levels of government. Immigration, shelter, and social services often fall under different jurisdictions, resulting in poor coordination. As Patterson explains, “The community services sector steps in and meets those gaps because the three levels are not always on the same page.”
Advocacy efforts led by UWGT and partners like OCASI call for:
- Coordinated funding across federal, provincial, and municipal levels.
- Expansion of settlement service eligibility to include asylum seekers.
- Permanent adoption of crisis-era innovations, such as Black-led shelters and rent supplements.
The full report is available through United Way Greater Toronto, and a news summary is available on Newswire.
Looking ahead: Policy, advocacy, and hope
The future remains uncertain. U.S. policy shifts, including the removal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, could drive new waves of asylum seekers north. UWGT continues to engage with municipal partners to monitor trends and prepare for possible surges.
For policymakers, the report’s recommendations are clear: strengthen programs, invest in Black-led organizations, and reform systemic barriers. For communities, the lesson is equally vital: resilience and solidarity are powerful forces for change.
As Patterson emphasizes, the crisis is not over: “Even though we don’t hear as much in the media, people are still struggling. The problem has not magically disappeared.”
Final thoughts
The 2023 shelter crisis exposed painful truths about Canada’s asylum system: its inequities, its gaps, and its susceptibility to systemic anti-Black racism. Yet it also revealed something more hopeful — the strength of Black-led organizations, faith communities, and grassroots networks that mobilized with compassion and urgency.
United Way Greater Toronto’s report offers both a sobering diagnosis and a roadmap forward. By centring lived experience, investing in frontline organizations, and pushing for policy change, it challenges all levels of society to act.
Asylum seekers deserve more than survival. They deserve dignity, stability, and a fair chance to build a future in Canada. The question now is whether policymakers will heed these lessons — ensuring that when the next wave arrives, the country is ready with not just shelters, but systems rooted in equity, care, and justice.
