As the number of refugee claimants crossing the United States-Canada border on foot near Emerson continues to rise, so too does the number of people seeking temporary housing in Manitoba.

A provincial spokesperson said Thursday 26 people have stayed at the former senior's facility since the new reception centre and shelter opened in Gretna last week.

The centre can hold up to 60 people.

In Winnipeg, 52 asylum seekers are living in temporary housing units run by Welcome Place and The Salvation Army, the spokesperson said.

Asylum seekers stay in temporary housing while awaiting decisions on various steps of the refugee application process.

CTV News has learned more than 500 people have crossed the border on foot into Manitoba to seek asylum since the start of the year.

Major Rob Kerr said the new centre in Gretna will delay the numbers coming to The Salvation Army in Winnipeg, but won't change the overall numbers of people in need of services.

“It allows them the time for the province to meet them in Gretna, but it’s not really alleviating anything in Winnipeg," he said.

Numbers provided to CTV News show the peak periods when asylum seekers have sought shelter at The Salvation Army between February and April.

The highest number of asylum seekers at the shelter was recorded March 10 when 89 people stayed the night. The lowest number to stay at the shelter was recorded on the first night it provided service to asylum seekers, on February 18. As of May 8, 41 people were staying at The Salvation Army.

“Our numbers are very consistent,” Kerr said.

He said on average, about 50 asylum seekers stay at The Salvation Army every night, and with the steady stream of people crossing the border, more money is still needed.

"We haven’t heard anything officially, but we’re hoping there is some funding to help us with this. It’s getting long. It’s getting signifant for us,” Kerr said.

The Salvation Army said it provided 3,151 nights of shelter to 214 refugee claimants between February 18 and April 19. Of those, 39 were children in 19 families.

Over the two month period, about 9,400 meals were served.