Low income blues plague city

Homeless report reveals single parents face housing barriers

Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 30/01) - Yellowknife's low income population face a bleak housing picture in the city, says a report released by the Yellowknife Housing Coalition.

"There is an affordability and access issue," said Lyda Fuller, executive director of the YWCA.

Coalition findings The Northwest Territories has the fastest growing single parent population in the country A single mother with two children make up 10 per cent of Yellowknife's population Cost of living in Yellowknife is 20 per cent higher than in Edmonton The NWT has the highest heavy drinking senior population in the country The waiting list for public housing in Yellowknife is 120 families long Yellowknife's senior population has jumped 40 per cent in the last 10 years.

The report, released Tuesday, pulls together almost two years of research and is part of a strategy to create a concrete picture of Yellowknife's housing situation.

According to the report the territory has the fastest growing single parent population in the country. A single mother with at least two children make up 10 per cent of Yellowknife's population.

Single parents in Yellowknife face a tight rental market with sky high rates and a cost of living at least 20 per cent higher than in Edmonton

"Single parents face a lot of barriers," said Fuller.

"We live in a society not particularly child-friendly,"she said.

Waiting lists for large apartment units for these families are the longest in the city.

"The question is where do these families go? What do they do, those who appear constantly on these lists?" said Fuller.

Currently the list for public housing is about 120 families long.

The report also said transitional and low-cost housing provide little space for playing. According to the report singles also face housing problems.

Income support no longer covers the cost of single unit dwellings and there are no transitional or subsidized units available to single people in Yellowknife.

Captain Al Hoeft of the Salvation Army said their 32-bed shelter is full every night.

"We are dealing with real people who have some problems who need help," said Hoeft.

Hoeft said the cycle of people who use the shelter has increased over the years.

"There are faces that get added to the equation that never get out," said Hoeft.

"We've seen people in the cycle who have died," said Hoeft.

According to the report, low priced single units in the market are the highest in demand.

The report also points to issues faced by the city's youth and the elderly.

Currently youth in the city have no where to stay overnight until the Side Door youth drop-in shelter completes renovations at the old mine rescue building.

The report also said the territory has the highest heavy drinking seniors population in Canada, but there is no special support offered to seniors with addictions.

There is a waiting list for every senior's housing facility in the city and the city's over-60 population has increased by 40 per cent over the past 10 years. Thirty-five homeless and hard-to-house people were interviewed for the report along with 10 support workers and 20 others from outside agencies.

Statistics came from the NWT Bureau of Statistics, NWT Housing Association and from local service groups.

The report is part of the Homeless Coalition's strategy to tap into $700,000 from the federal government to deal with homelessness in the city.