Richmond council votes to request federal funds for shelter beds

City councillors in Richmond, B.C., voted on Monday to request funding for more shelter beds for what they described as an influx in refugees in the city.

The motion, passed during a regular council meeting on Monday, requested that theB.C. governmentwhich oversees municipalities"ask the federal government to provide temporary housing for refugees and asylum seekers or alternatively pay the City of Richmond for use of city facilities."

Immigration falls under federal authority.

The city says its current total overnight shelter capacity is 30 people. According to city officials, roughly one-third of the beds are now being occupied by asylum seekers and refugees.

Last year, about 7,700 refugee claims were made in B.C.,almost double the 3,895 claims that were made in 2022, according to a statement from the provincial government sent to CBCNews last week.

The Early Edition7:29Richmond needs housing for asylum seekers, says councillor

Inadequate housing in the City of Richmond has forced asylum seekers to rely on shelters, says councillor Carol Day.

Aboutone-third of the 632 people who stayed in theRichmond House Emergency Shelter's 30 bedslast year were refugees or asylum seekers, Coun. Carol Day said. The shelter isrun by the city and the Salvation Army.

"The numbers are staggering," said Day, who brought forward Monday's motion. "The reality is people are sleeping out in the cold, and it's just not acceptable.

"Canada is experiencing a rise in the number of refugees and people claiming asylum, some of whom do not have accommodations and seek shelter in local emergency shelters."

Day said Monday it's urgent the federal government come up with money soon, especially as a temporary emergency shelter set up in a changing room at a Richmond's South Arm Outdoor Pool is set to close on April 15.

She said the city will also make an appeal to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, which lobbies on behalf of communities across the province.

Only some refugees get assistance

Refugee advocate Katya Avalossaid it's important to distinguish between asylum seekers and government-assisted refugees (GARs) to understandwhich groupis ending up in shelters and whether the city or the federal governmentshould foot the billfor sheltering them.

"I think there's a little bit of a confusion here," Avalos, thecommunity engagement director for the government-community collaborativeMulti-Agency Parnership(MAP) that works with refugees in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, said during an interview with CBC'sThe Early Edition last week.

GARs are screened abroad and undergo security and health screenings prior to being issued a visa to come to Canada, Avalossaid.When they arrive in Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) gives thempermanent resident status, financial support and housing supportsfor about a year, Avalos said.

"This is not the population that's currently driving up the numbers and taking up [shelter] spaces," Avalos said.

By contrast, an asylum seeker also called an asylum claimant or refugee claimant is anyone who was forced out of one country and came to Canada asking for safe haven.

After being deemed eligible to apply for asylum by IRCC or the Canadian Border Services Agency at a port of entry to Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board must agree the claimant can't return home in order for them to qualify as a refugee and be allowed to remain in Canada.

Many asylum seekers can't get federal helpwhile they wait for their case to be decided,leaving many of them stuck in limbo with nowhere to sleep.

For itspart, the federal government hasearmarked about $362 millionfor cities and provincesstruggling to cope with therising number of refugee claimants through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP).

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IHAPis a cost-sharing program that provides reimbursement to provinces and municipalities for expenses related to the provision of interim housing for asylum claimants.

"We know this is not a local issue," Richmond Coun. Chak Au told fellow councillors on Monday night."It's a national issue."

More than 160 people are experiencing homelessness in Richmond, according to themost recent countavailable.

In a statement to CBC News last week, the department ofImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it "recognizes the significant role provincial and municipal governments play across the country in providing temporary shelter to asylum claimants."