SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Four months after the GNWT announced plans for a day shelter in the city, the John Howard Society has been awarded the funding to open the much-needed space and plans to do so by November.

The old Harley's T-Shirt shop building on 51 Street will be the new home to the Yellowknife Day Shelter. The John Howard Society has been awarded the funding to open the shelter and its expected to open its doors sometime in November. - Andrew Livingstone/NNSL photo

Lydia Bardak, a social justice advocate for the society, said the group is extremely excited about the opportunity to offer a place where people can go during the day to continue pushing a positive message and environment for those facing difficult challenges in life.

"The availability of a drop-in centre with washrooms and programs and telephones, the availability of that is great," Bardak said, adding the shelter will be located on 51 Street in the old Harley's T-shirt shop.

"We have the opportunity to work with individuals to keep concentrating some positive messages so that, as people start to think or people start to think they can change and things could be different, then we can grab our partners at the Salvation Army or the Tree of Peace."

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said the city will be offering temporary employment opportunities to people who use the shelter, pointing to snow removal and parks maintenance. By providing this option, Van Tighem said it gives people a central location for people looking for a change in lifestyle.

"That's one of the reasons for its existence," he said. "The key point is there are people in our community that may need some form of assistance or direction and this can become a clearing house and move on into other areas.

"It's very much the difference for the emergency shelter and the Bailey House. It puts the information right out and available. It may eventually morph into providing programs right there.

"The key thing is to break the continuum and offer people options."

While the day shelter will give people living on the street more options, Bardak said it won't completely alleviate the problems in the downtown core – but with the shelter being the first program in town to deal with intoxicated people, it will improve the quality of life for everyone in the city.

"The only two options for intoxicated people to go are to hang around the emergency room or in the drunk tank. We're hoping that we can actually make a difference in the day time hours."

Bardak said they will be hiring five or six staff, full-time, part-time and casual, to keep the place open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., a requirement under the terms of reference set out when the GNWT requested proposals.

"We want to have two people on site at all times to make it a safer place," Bardak said, adding the job will be difficult and having two people would also be for the benefit of staff.

"One person can be supervising the crowd while the other can be having a quiet conversation with someone in crisis.

"We're going to have two weeks training before we open the doors."

The project is being funded through a partnership between the City of Yellowknife, BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. and the GNWT Department of Health and Social Services, committing more than $550,000 to the project. The Department of Health and Social Services has committed $125,000 over the next three years for a total of $375,000, while BHP will provide $150,000 over the next three years. The city will donate $25,000 a year for three years, aimed at creating useful activities for people using the facility.

"Yellowknifers really want something like this. On one hand I'm going this is a lot, but I know there is so much support and people out there who want to help. I'm looking forward to working with the community."

Calls to Sandy Lee, minister of Health and Social Services, and Les Harrison, director of social programs for Yellowknife Health and Social Services, were not returned by press time.