'We're going to work together'
Questions about Housing First Initiative persist after minister and city councillor meet for first time since election
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Monday, April 11, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city and GNWT are downplaying the suggestion of a rift between the levels of government about the long-planned Housing First initiative after the main political players met for the first time since the fall election last week.
Coun. Linda Bussey says she met with Caroline Cochrane, the territory's minister responsible for homelessness, last week and says they agreed on a plan to move ahead with Housing First. It was their first meeting since the fall elections. - NNSL photo |
The initiative focuses on getting a homeless person first in housing and then offering "wrap around" social services. That support can take the form of everything from mental health care to life skills such as cooking lessons.
Late last month, Coun. Linda Bussey said she had yet to meet with the GNWT's minister responsible for homelessness, Caroline Cochrane, since the fall election and expressed concern their goals were not in sync.
"I don't know," Bussey said March 29 when asked if there was an issue with the GNWT holding up Housing First, as suggested in other local media reports. "They've been participating in the (Community Advisory Board on Homelessness) since we started (two years ago) but recently they haven't participated or have been very sporadic.
Bussey has since met with the minister, who is also responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
"For me, it was one of the best days in two years. We were able to sit down and talk and realize we're going to work together," Bussey said Monday.
"We're going to continue working with them," Cochrane said in a separate interview April 4.
The city councillor heading the charge on the project tells News/North the city still plans to house at least one chronically homeless person by the end of the summer.
However, all challenges are been resolved. One is whether housing units will be grouped together or dispersed. Bussey said the city is moving to have private apartments in buildings around the city used.
Also yet to be determined, or even formally guaranteed, is the level of wrap-around services the GNWT will fund.
Cochrane said she thinks Housing First is a good idea but that people can't just be put in housing without support. She said the Northern context has to be considered, saying that indigenous people are on-the-land-based and very socially connected to friends and families.
"If we're going to be looking at a Housing First model, we really need to make sure we consider the social network that they need," she said.
Asked how that differs from what the city is proposing, Cochrane, said "They do need the wrap-around support but I'm just not sure with the government fiscal situation if we're going to be able to provide the level of support to just be able to put people into market homes right away."
She said some will be able to go into market housing right away but that there's a larger population that won't, needing life-skills training such as how to take care of a home.
The GNWT is now working on its own effort - although Cochrane said the city will be involved - to come up with what she describes as "a concrete plan" to address homelessness. Various groups that are involved with the issue will meet April 26 and 27 - it won't be public - to build the plan.
Cochrane said she'll be using her experience in the non-profit sector - she had been executive director of the Centre for Northern Families - to create a plan with goals that can be achieved.
"I'm really positive that after the meeting that we're going to be holding that we're going to have a solid plan that we can move forward on," she said. "It's time to stop getting ready. It's time to start taking some action on this and my commitment is I don't want to see another winter to go by where people don't have a place to sleep."
Bussey said a request for proposals for an organization to operate the city's Housing First program - much like the NWT Disabilities Council operates the Safe Harbour Day Centre - will go to council this week before being issued publicly.
Bussey said she's had discussions with people who she thinks may submit a proposal but so far no one has said they plan to submit one. She hopes a group of non-profits come together to submit a joint proposal. She said there is some kind of a back-up plan if no proposal is received.
"There's plans. I'm very confident that there's going to be some proponents, I'm very confident," she said.
