Salvation Army opens temporary pop-up shelter in Winnipeg as influx of asylum seekers continues

The Salvation Army has opened a new, temporary pop-up shelter in downtown Winnipeg to ease pressure from a continued inflow of asylum seekers.

The pop-up shelter, which has 80 beds, is located separately from the Salvation Army's Centre of Hope emergency shelter at the corner of Main Street and Henry Avenue.

"What that's doing is just creating that capacity back in our building again," Mark Stewart, the executive director of Winnipeg's Centre of Hope, told CBC on Wednesday.

Stewart says about 30 people are currently using the space, but they expect to hit full capacity in the coming weeks. It's expected to be open until October.

"We've seen an increase in the numbers of refugees over the last year," Stewart said.

There were 135 asylum seekers in Manitoba last January, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. That's a hundred more compared to the same month the year before.

On an average night, over 400 people stay at the Centre of Hope, with about 120 of those people being asylum seekers, Salvation Army said in a Wednesday news release.

"We've already opened a 60 bed micro-unit within our main building for men who are newcomers," Stewart said. "And what we found is, over the winter, that number ballooned to just over 120."

'I wish we could do more'

The new shelter is staffed 24 hours a day and people will have access to caseworkers, resources and three meals a day.

Its fire and ventilation systems have been upgraded, and mobile showers and bathrooms have also been added, according to the release.

The main shelter also has a hub to provide services to newcomers and asylum claimants, offering employment and housing support twice a week.

"I wish we could do more, but I think that we provided a lot of dignity in the space that we've created," Stewart said.

"Our best hope is that, you know, people can use this as a jumping off spot to find employment, education and a new life in Canada."