The Salvation Army will add dozens of new beds to help newcomers

The Salvation Army has added 80 new beds to help the many newcomers seeking shelter in Winnipeg.

The organization said on Wednesday that the number of refugees arriving in the city has increased by more than 400 percent since January 2023.

By adding these new beds, the Salvation Army hopes to ease the pressure on the Hope Center, which shelters more than 400 people on an average night.

“We averaged more than 120 refugees a day as a steady number,” said Mark Stewart, executive director of the Center for Hope.

“So it's men, women, non-binary, as well as children … we wanted to open up more beds in the emergency shelter to make more room for the people who came in.”

The Salvation Army Hope Center is open 24 hours a day and offers access to food, resources, case workers, bathrooms and showers. Newcomers can visit the reception center at 180 Henry Ave., where they can access services for refugee claimants and newcomers, including housing and job placement, as well as housing assistance.

“At the end of the day, anybody that comes into the community, we want to make sure they're safe,” Stewart said.

“It's a safe place, away from a typical emergency shelter, where they can be together in a similar situation.”

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 185 asylum seekers were processed in Manitoba in January 2024. In January 2023, this number was 35.

– With files from CTV's Joseph Bernacki.