About 60 refugees and asylum seekers who were sleeping outside a homeless shelter run by the City of Toronto were transported by bus yesterday to a church where they will be temporarily housed.

According to Pastor Eddie Jumba, who came to assist them in partnership with a Korean church, the "Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles" church in the Etobicoke area found beds for 40 men and 22 women who had been camping outside the mentioned office.

"It's a miracle" that the church was able to find beds, said the pastor, "We take things one day at a time. We know they won't freeze in the cold."

It is noted that the temperature in Toronto did not exceed 11.5 degrees Celsius yesterday, and it will drop to 8 degrees Celsius tonight, with the wind chill making it feel around 5 degrees Celsius.

The "Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles" church has been providing temporary housing for non-permanent immigrants since the beginning of August. About 50 people have been sleeping inside since then. The church also recently welcomed refugees and asylum seekers from another church that was forced to close its shelter.

Mwanza Murdo, who spent three days in front of the city office, wanted to get on the bus. She said that sleeping in the streets of the city was "difficult."

"I cried. We are not used to these temperatures," Murdo said.

Currently, refugees and asylum seekers occupy about 40% of the 9,122 beds in shelters run by the City of Toronto, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Olivia Chow.

The "Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles" church also recently received $100,000 from the City of Toronto.

"We have been asking to leave this place for a long time, but nothing has been done regarding housing. Canadians are treated as second-class citizens," said Jiaozis, who is hoping for a bed in a shelter that is not open.

The number of homeless individuals who are neither refugees nor asylum seekers in municipal shelters has increased year by year since 2018, contributing to a shortage of space in these areas designated for individuals with urgent housing needs.