In the summer of 2023, hundreds of Black African refugee claimants were shut out of Toronto’s shelters because of a funding dispute between the city and federal government over who should pay to support them.
Government inaction left these newcomers in a dire situation, as they found themselves lying on bits of cardboard on the sidewalk in front of the Shelter Referral Centre, located in Toronto’s famed entertainment district.
Surrounded by luggage—and, thankfully, fed by some Good Samaritans—they tried to discern their fate as the rains poured and the sun beat down. Other Torontonians breezed past on their way to shop on Queen Street, go clubbing on Adelaide, and enjoy fine dining on Peter Street. For anyone who cared enough to notice, our passive response to suffering was on full display.
For Toronto’s Christians—called to resist indifference and apathy— it should have been too much to bear. For a half dozen Black-led churches and one mosque, it was. In press conferences, they called on the municipal and federal governments to resist the inertia of the malfunctioning shelter system by responding to these newcomers’ urgent needs.
When no answer came, these groups answered the call themselves.
Pilgrim’s Feast Tabernacle Church, which ran social programs and a restaurant out of a strip mall in the suburb of Etobicoke was among the compassionate first responders. Bunk beds replaced pews in the sanctuary. For the refugee claimant, the restaurant space assumed the role of bedroom and mess hall. Each guest received a membership to the gym next door so they could shower. As word of this impromptu shelter spread, dozens of newcomers arrived weekly. In response, the church used up its funds and dipped into personal lines of credit to rent more vacant mall spaces. A former bank, a restaurant, four offices, and the church sanctuary formed a sprawling home for more than 300 refugees per day.
Neighbours, including the landlord, were initially sympathetic and were allies in resisting the refugee claimants’ inhumane treatment. Some came by with food, clothing, and financial donations. To make the spaces safer, the fire department showed up with carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms.
By December, Pilgirm’s Feast had served over 2,000 refugee claimants. When rent and utility bills went unpaid, landlord sympathy turned to frustration, and new forces to resist emerged. The city’s fire and zoning departments began sending the church written warnings that included the threat of $50,000 fines and jail time if they kept housing people in the commercial strip mall. The church sold its second vehicle and members’ personal credit ratings plummeted as bills at home went unpaid.
Early in September of 2023, a group of Black led organizations, settlement service agencies, faith communities, and allies realized the precarious position the sheltering churches and mosque were in and formed the Crisis in Our City Network (CoC). CoC met weekly to help shape a coalition led by Black Canadians advocating for a just welcome for refugee claimants and compensation for those organizations that had shored up the safety net when our government systems had failed.
After months of pressure, the federal government stepped up its bussing program which took refugees from the overcrowded city center to hotels across the province. By late winter they appeared to be keeping pace with the numbers of refugees arriving.
Early in 2024, the federal government came through with refugee funding for the city. At the spring council meeting, the city voted to begin a process that would lead to the reimbursement of faith groups, including Pilgrim’s Feast.
But after months of mobilizing, financial exhaustion had set in and by December 2023 the majority of host communities closed their shelter bed programs. Pilgrim’s Feast pivoted to daytime programming including settlement and housing support. With the first instalment of the reimbursement funds, the church is beginning to pay off their debts and start over in a new location.
Today, the midnight cell phone calls from desperate asylum seekers to Pilgrim’s Feast averages a few per week instead of a few per night. But with 2024 on track to surpass last year’s record number of asylum seekers, the crisis is far from over.
Faced with what Pope Francis calls “the globalization of indifference,” Pilgrim’s Feast, the Crisis in Our City Network, and many others continue to amplify God’s call to resist apathy and work collectively to strengthen our capacity to be a country of compassionate refuge.
