It's been just over a week since asylum seekers crossing the border near Emerson have taken shelter in the Gretna Migrant Reception Centre.

The centre is owned by Manitoba Housing and is designated to house migrants after being processed by local RCMP and Canada Border Services until a more permanent placement for them can be set up in Winnipeg. The individuals can be in the reception centre for up to five days.

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 Carolyn Ryan Executive Director of Portfolio management with Manitoba Housing said things have been going very well, better than originally expected.

"We've had twenty six people come through the centre and seventeen of them are located there today. We have faced a couple challenges along the way. People come at all hours of the night in varying states and are often very tired. So takes some getting used to, but for the most part they just want to clean up and rest."

Ryan added that there has been a real mix of people coming through.

"Single men, single women, mom's, dad's and some kids. They are very grateful and I think just relieved to be somewhere warm and safe. After resting and venturing outside of the centre, they are finding themselves to be very welcome in the community. There has been a steady stream of people from the community stopping by. We had a gathering of volunteers last week to work on coordination and even since than people are stopping by to ask how they can help. We've had people dropping off all kinds of things, most importantly hygiene kits and kids from the community have come by to play soccer with the kids in the centre."

A few of the migrants attended a local church because they wanted to thank God for getting them safely into Canada, according to Ryan.

The new arrivals are pleased with the welcome they've received and at times overwhelmed, but grateful. Hygiene kits have been provided for the newcomers and things like toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, hair brushes, and deodorant appear to be in high demand.

Originally the centre planned to have all meals catered to the migrants, but have since realized that often mothers with small children are requesting to cook for their families and have actually been shopping at the local Gretna store.

Also part of the original plan was to have only overnight security on site, but after a public meeting that was held in the community a couple weeks ago, they realized that the residents of Gretna were asking for 24 hour security and have since followed through. The centre provides three social service workers daily that are there to answer questions and assist the migrants in becoming familiar with life in Canada.

Ryan mentioned that each asylum seeker has their own story about how they got here.

We've had people from all over Africa and several Caribbean nations. The circumstances in each of those countries and areas are very different, but they have all come to Canada through the U.S. Their length of stay in the U.S., however varies. We had a family the other day that had only been in the U.S. for a couple of days and others that had been there much longer."

A number of volunteers have also teamed up with the reception centre to provide social activities, donations and assisting when needed. Robin Neustater, who heads up the group, said the first week had gone very well.

"They're seeking a safe place to live and we sometimes take the safety we have here in Canada for granted. When we sit down and talk to the people staying here it's a reality check and we're reminded that we don't really know what is happening in others parts of the world. So I think it's important to try to understand their stories and to seek them out and to remember that what is happening here in Gretna is part of a much bigger process."  

Up to sixty asylum seekers can be housed in the vacant facility and will be provided meals until they are transported to Winnipeg. Manitoba Inter-Faith Immigration Council, also known as Welcome House, will be responsible for finding the migrants space to reside in Winnipeg and for transportation from Gretna to Winnipeg.