New Edmonton shelter to open for growing number of unhoused refugees

A new shelter opening this fall in west Edmonton will offer specialized services to a growing number of unhoused newcomers.

Hope Mission has seen a 700 per cent increase in visitors, refugees and newer immigrants they serve.

Last year 199 newcomers stayed at Hope — up from 25 newcomers in 2022. Staff say it's not slowing down.

"We recognize that it would be better to have people in one place to receive specialized support," Tim Pasma, director of programs at Hope Mission, said in a recent interview.

Already, Hope has adapted to provide language and culturally-appropriate services, either by staff of the same heritage or community volunteers.

Seminars help them navigate various systems and access resources while designated workers assist with the asylum process, employment and housing.

Despite Edmonton's low vacancy rates, Pasma said it's easier housing refugees and immigrants who don't usually face challenges prevalent in the general population such as addiction and chronic unemployment.

Roughly 85 per cent of newcomers remain housed after finding a home through Hope Mission, he said.

While some arrive from overseas, Pasma said many clients come via less affordable cities such as Toronto where shelter systems are overwhelmed.

"I think that they realized they had a better chance of getting support here," Pasma said.

Some clients are Ukrainian and Mexican, but the majority have fled Uganda where high numbers of 2SLGBTQ+ people and opponents of Yoweri Museveni's 38-year presidency are being killed, beaten, tortured, raped, kidnapped and imprisoned without due process.

Earlier in April, Uganda's constitutional court upheld the 2023 Anti-Homosexual Act which criminalizes same-sex relationships and in some cases, can result in the death penalty.

Charles Mulangira, president of the Edmonton-based Ugandan Cultural Association of Alberta, praised Hope Mission, as well as the E4C Women's Emergency Accommodation Centre, for their work with new arrivals.

But at times the number of people is too high for shelters to accommodate, Mulangira said, and they have to find lodging with community members instead.

Many newcomers also require culturally-sensitive counselling to work through past trauma exacerbated by the present challenges of settling in a new country, Mulangira said.

Community members do what they can, volunteering their time, while social workers provide free counselling.

"We can share what we have but we cannot accommodate the whole number because we ourselves don't even have a place," Mulangira said.

The Ugandan Cultural Association has applied for city funding in the hopes of opening a community centre.

Mulangira said at least 85 per cent of the new arrivals are highly educated, including doctors and lawyers.

"They only need opportunities in order to make a contribution to this province, to this country, Mulangira said.

Charles Mulangira said community members host new Ugandan arrivals when shelters are full. (Andrea Huncar/CBC)

Mully Tesfay, a community advocate and landlord, houses dozens of Edmontonians experiencing chronic homelessness. Many tenants are referred by Hope Mission, including 10 newcomers from Uganda and Ukraine.

As his wait-list grows, Tesfay welcomed news of the future shelter but urged politicians to expedite plans for more affordable housing.

"It's important to help newcomers but with a shortage of affordable housing, it makes it even tougher for the people who live here," Tesfay said.

The province said it supports Hope Mission's efforts to meet the unique needs of Albertans experiencing homelessness.

"The province provides operational funding to Hope Mission to offer emergency shelter services in various locations in Edmonton and its recently-purchased west end warehouse site will be a welcome addition to the shelter system in the city," Alexandru Cioban, press secretary to Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jason Nixon, wrote in an email to CBC News.

Pasma said the future shelter won't be exclusively for newcomers. It will also support people waiting to be housed. He said Hope Mission will release the specific location later in April, along with details about upcoming community consultations.