Karen Mackenzie
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008
NUNAVUT - YWCA Canada is set to expand its work across the North with the help of a recent federal funding boost.
The group will receive $1.5 million over the next three years from Status of Women Canada to develop programming geared towards women in all three territories.
As the application was only approved in late December, there is no word yet on how that money will be broken down, according to Paulette Senior, CEO of YWCA Canada.
"We're putting together a group of women across the North who can provide some leadership in terms of how we can implement some strategies for the North," she said.
Any new initiatives will likely build upon previous research and pre-existing programs, according to Senior.
"The YWCA, for the most part, is located in the south so we want to make sure whatever we do is actually relevant to the communities in the North," she said.
The Qimaavik Transition House in Apex was named in the funding application, and its board will likely play an integral role in how the work unfolds, according to Senior.
"It's good news to hear about money coming into the North ... and we'll be working with the YWCA and helping things happen," said Sheila Levy, a member of the Qimaavik shelter's board.
"The group working with us is a very strong group of women who really believe in delivering services across Nunavut."
Although the new funding is for programming, rather than infrastructure, there is a real need for a women's homeless shelter in Nunavut and the Yukon, according to Senior.
That need was identified clearly in the recently released You Just Blink and It Can Happen: A Study of Women's Homelessness North of 60, she added.
"I think it was a wakeup call in terms of the federal government seeing how critical the situation is, and critical in terms of bringing the issues of homelessness and the dire situation of women in the North to the rest of the country," Senior said.
A co-ordinator for the program has already been hired, and will be in Iqaluit in February to meet with local women's organizations, according to Senior.
Stephanie Williams, executive director of the Qulliit Status of Women, said she looks forward to also meeting with the YWCA's representative at that time.
"Qulliit was very happy to hear about the funding, and keen on learning the details of the project," she said.
