Salvation Army adds dozens of new beds to help newcomers
The Salvation Army has added 80 new beds to help the many newcomers seeking asylum in Winnipeg.
The organization made the announcement on Wednesday, saying that the number of refugees coming to the city since January 2023 has increased by more than 400 per cent.
By adding these new beds, the Salvation Army is hoping to relieve some pressure from its Centre of Hope, which shelters more than 400 people on an average night.
“We were averaging over 120 refugees a day as a static number,” said Mark Stewart, executive director of the Centre of Hope.
“So that’s men, women, non-binary, as well as children…what we wanted to do is just open up more beds in an emergency shelter setting just to provide more space for people that are coming in.”
The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope is staffed 24 hours a day and offers access to meals, resources, caseworkers, washrooms and showers. Newcomers can go to the intake centre, located at 180 Henry Ave., where they are able to access refugee claimant and newcomer services, including housing and employment support, as well as residency assistance.
"At the end of the day, anybody’s who is coming into the community, we just want to make sure they’re safe,” Stewart said.
“This is a safe space, away from regular emergency shelter, where they can be together in a similar situation.”
According to numbers from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 185 asylum seekers were processed in Manitoba in January 2024. In January 2023, that number was 35.
- With files from CTV’s Joseph Bernacki.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Oilers starting Calvin Pickard in goal for Game 4 vs. Canucks
The Edmonton Oilers will start Calvin Pickard in net Tuesday for Game 4 of their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker rails against Pride month, working women in commencement speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Alberta announces the 4 health agencies that will replace AHS later this year
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.