The sidewalk outside of Toronto's shelter intake office has seen a growing number of asylum seekers and refugees waiting to be referred to a space in the city's at-capacity shelter system, all while battling the scorching summer heat and rain.

Many of the refugees — who have camped outside the building at 129 Peter Street for several days — are from African countries and have been patiently waiting for answers whilst relying on limited food and supplies. 

At 129 Peter St for the Press Conference. City at capacity. Shelters full. Hotels closing. Refugees sleeping in streets. Gov pointing fingers. This is supposed to be a sanctuary city. This is an emergency. We need urgent response. pic.twitter.com/fC4cPrMFrJ

— Alexa (@Rev_Alexa) July 14, 2023

On Friday afternoon, a meeting between the municipal, provincial, and federal governments took place to address the current crisis in Toronto — where a third of shelter residents are refugees. 

A news conference led by several local organizations outside of the building at Peter and Richmond streets also took place on Friday morning. 

This morning, we joined representatives of civil service organizations, refugee centres, hospitals and drop in centres in front of 129 Peter Street in response to the urgent call for action to address the growing housing & shelter crises impacting refugees in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/Qpsli0dSuj

— YWCA Toronto (@YWCAToronto) July 14, 2023

"We need an answer today. We've been seeing the numbers at 129 Peter grow every day for the last two months," said Kizito Musabimana from the Rwandan Canadian Healing Centre.

"The federal government is pointing fingers, the city is pointing fingers and saying they need help, and the provincial government is sometimes not at the table. We want everyone to get at the table and answer to everybody here." 

Toronto's at-capacity shelter system has been regularly turning away asylum seekers since early June after instituting a policy to refer them to federal programs instead.  

"Toronto's shelters are full. Over a third of their residents are refugees. The federal government must recognize this is a crisis and partner with the city to address it," Toronto mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement.

Here at 129 Peter to support the refugee serving organizations, frontline workers, and others who are united in their call for urgent action on the housing crisis that has left refugee and asylum seekers stranded out on the streets.

Their press conference starts at 10am. pic.twitter.com/XEeSVeQfbo

— Progress Toronto (@progresstoronto) July 14, 2023

A GoFundMe campaign was recently launched to raise money for water and food for the group of refugees. At the time of publication, over $42,000 has been raised out of the campaign's $10,000 goal through roughly 600 donations.

"Last May, the City of Toronto announced that it would begin the process of referring refugee claimants outside of its shelter system — a high-risk strategy to secure shelter funding for refugees from the federal government," the campaign reads. 

Today was a hard day at 129 Peter. @Diana_C_McNally is writing great updates every day on our gofundme page, you can donate and keep up with what’s going on here:https://t.co/npFxtR76Lm

— Britt Caron (@briketysplit) July 14, 2023

"As it stands, the Liberal federal government is not providing money to Toronto to ensure that refugee claimants — a federal responsibility — are provided with shelter and supports. In fact, $97 million in funds for this very purpose were promised by the federal government; however, none of this money has materialized." 

The Health Providers Against Poverty alliance also issued a statement on Wednesday in regard to the refugee crisis in Toronto. 

"The city was promised $97 million in funding by the federal government for shelter and housing programs specifically aimed at supporting refugees and asylum seekers. Unfortunately, this promise remains unfulfilled, leading to dire consequences for those seeking refuge in our city," the statement reads. 

Our statement about the current situation with the refugee claimants outside of 129 Peter Street being denied shelter thus breaking the 1951 United Nations Convention on the protection of refugees and 2001 Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. pic.twitter.com/bZrOXWuGu9

— Health Providers Against Poverty (@HPAP_Ontario) July 12, 2023

"The federal government's negligence in honouring its promises to our city and the families seeking asylum is not an oversight we can afford. The provision of immediate shelter and access to stable, affordable housing is not a luxury — it is a human right that we as a city, and indeed as a nation, must uphold," the alliance wrote. 

"This situation is simply unacceptable. We cannot stand by and allow refugees and asylum seekers to be abandoned by the very government structures meant to assist them."