New shelter beds for Yellowknife
Seven to go to Salvation Army's Bailey House; Eight to be added for women at Centre for Northern Families
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, October 14, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The president and chief executive officer of the NWT Housing Corporation says the addition of 15 new homeless shelter beds in the city will not solve the homeless crisis - but it's a start.
The federal government has committed $300,000 to finance the construction of seven new apartments for homeless men at the Salvation Army downtown. - NNSL file photo |
Tom Williams said seven new apartments for men are to be built in Bailey House at the Salvation Army building downtown and eight new units for women are to be constructed at the Centre for Northern Families on Franklin Avenue.
The new beds are expected to be available by late winter or early spring of next year, according to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Williams said the expansion plans were made possible after the federal government agreed to give the territory $600,000 for the two initiatives.
The housing corp. is now administering that money, he said.
"We will be developing a contribution agreement with each organization for approximately $300,000 apiece," Williams said. "The new units are expected to free up space in emergency shelters by giving persons who are currently in shelters more independence."
He added the new units will be occupied by longer term shelter residents, thus making beds available for people who may only need them on a nightly basis.
"We're very pleased that through the provision of this stable housing and access to supports that we're helping vulnerable people to succeed," Williams said.
"These would be semi-independent units that we'd be providing to provide more available space for homeless and contribute to the solutions."
Williams added the two buildings will not be added onto but current storage and office space will be re-purposed into independent living space for homeless people.
"We're moving in the right direction," he said. "It doesn't address the total need here in Yellowknife but it's a good place to start."
Housing corp. manager Revi Lau-a said the expansions will help homeless people get back on their feet.
"This (new) space is largely intended for folks who have a greater degree of independence," he said.
Lt. Dusty Sauder of the Salvation Army in Yellowknife said he is optimistic the units will be built at the facility but he cautions - there is still a process that has to be completed, including approval from the Salvation Army head office.
"They still have to approve programs to make sure the plans are fiscally responsible and don't drag down the whole operation so that we can keep doing what we do," Sauder said.
"I don't see why it shouldn't get approved but at the same time there is always a chance that it won't be."
The Salvation Army currently has room for about 100 people in its building across several programs, Sauder said.
Minister responsible for housing corp., Caroline Cochrane, is also the former executive director of the Centre for Northern Families. She said she had hoped for as many as 30 new homeless housing units.
"We have to accommodate what the space is at the shelters but I'm glad for 15 - that's more than we had last year when we had none," Cochrane said.
"In our talks, the Salvation Army had thought they'd be able to accommodate 20 beds with the space they had and the (Yellowknife) Women's Society had said they could probably accommodate 10. When they actually did the planning it was found that we didn't have the space we had hoped for."
Room was freed up in the Centre for Northern Families when it purchased a new building on 54 Street for its daycare, which is currently run out of the centre's basement.
It is not yet clear when the daycare is scheduled to relocate.
