"It's been in continuous disrepair and derelict circumstances. There were reported firearms, individuals walking out onto the street with assault rifles, drug paraphernalia that you can even find today, a lot of drug use."
The principle of geographic equity is important, and one the Tenderloin community has been advocating for years. We are now exploring siting more effective services, like sober centers, outside of the Tenderloin or through expansions of existing sites.
Isaac Tumuramye has called the Willowdale Welcome Centre home since he came to Toronto from Uganda two years ago. But the shelter, which serves refugees experiencing homelessness in Toronto, is closing at the end of May. Tumuramye says he's scared about what the future holds and others staying at the shelter feel the same. "We're not ready yet, we're still trying to make life happen," he said.
The board employs more than 50 social workers to conduct the assessments, but some children have said they are out to get them. The report finds that in some cases the process has led to children's deteriorating mental health, including self-harm and suicidal ideation, and that going through a Home Office age assessment is far more severe and traumatic than a comparable experience with a local authority social worker.
In 2025, the administration of US President Donald Trump ordered the US Agency for International Development to be closed; this year, it withdrew the country from 66 international organizations. Other Western nations that are plagued with high levels of debt and pressure to prioritize domestic challenges have slashed their foreign aid, too. According to projections, official development assistance dropped by 9-17% in 2025, amounting to some US$55 billion.
