Homeless plan could cost $147M
City contractor says most money would come from territorial and federal governments
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, April 21, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A 10-year plan to end homelessness in Yellowknife could cost up to $147.1 million to implement, based on preliminary figures provided to city council Tuesday.
Turner Research & Strategy Inc. founder Alina Turner speaks to councillors during a municipal services committee meeting on Tuesday about her work so far to develop a plan to end homelessness in Yellowknife by 2027. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo
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The estimate was included in a presentation to the city's municipal services committee meeting by
Turner Research & Strategy Inc. founder Alina Turner. Turner is leading the development of the city's 10-year plan to end homelessness, due in June.
"Don't freak out yet because these are over 10 years," Turner said to council while highlighting the cost projections.
"This is not out of whack with what other communities are spending on these interventions,"she said.
The consultant has helped draft similar plans for Fredericton, N.B., St. John's, N.L., Calgary and Medicine Hat, Alta.
The figure covers construction of 240 new affordable housing units, rent support for 127 units, a rapid rehousing program, expanding the case management system, as well as construction and operation of 80 permanent supportive housing units in a single facility and 80 more in buildings throughout the city.
Construction costs would account for $50.9 million while the remainder would be the cost to run the programs.
The "end" to homelessness envisioned would mean reducing the average person's stay in a homeless shelter to 14 days or less by 2027, with ultimately no one living on the street or in a shelter longer than two weeks without access to housing and support services.
She said the good news is that Housing First, a program the city began last year to place people in housing units and provide support services, has been shown to save governments money.
"Over time it pays for itself," she said, referring to how it has been shown to lower use of police, ambulance, court and health-care resources.
Most of the money would come from the territorial and federal governments, she said. Some of the funds would come from existing spending, Turner said.
The city's role, beyond what it does already, would be to gather public support, donate land for buildings, deal with zoning and push other levels of government to provide funds.
Coun. Shauna Morgan said she wasn't fazed by the numbers.
"We all know it's going to take significant investment," she said.
Coun. Julian Morse said he looks forward to the investment the GNWT will make in the project.
Turner was scheduled to meet with GNWT deputy ministers yesterday.
Councillors expressed enthusiasm with the early version of the plan, which largely highlighted estimates of the scale of the homelessness issue in the city and outlined ways various levels of government, non-governmental groups and businesses will need to work together to implement the plan.
Turner estimates the city has more than 1,500 people who are homeless at times. Of those, about 70 to 80 per cent are believed to be people who experience short-term bouts, perhaps due to a job loss. Then 15 to 10 per cent are "episodically" homeless, which means they need support more frequently. The remaining five to 10 per cent are those considered "chronically" homeless, living in a shelter or on the street.
Turner estimates 1,800 people used shelters recently, up from more than 900 in 2009.
"It is quite shocking, it is a huge increase," Morse said.
Among the problems she said she's encountered is the lack of an integrated information system that tracks shelter use.
She also said there needs to be regional plans to deal with housing and homelessness in other parts of the territory so Yellowknife doesn't end up with all of the services and potentially drawing people from outside communities.
