Sobering centre opens
Temporary location gets running as GNWT continues search for permanent solution
Emelie Peacock
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The location is temporary and the furnishings are few, yet Yellowknife's long awaited sobering centre has now opened its doors.
Caroline Cochrane, minister responsible for addressing homelessness, shows off a tent at the opening of the temporary sobering centre at Yellowknife Community Arena. - Emelie Peacock/NNSL photo |
Large camping tents are set up in two long rows along the arena floor, with a waist-high metal and mesh barrier dividing the two rows. One row of tents is to house women, the other men. In total, the sobering centre can accommodate 28 people.
Alysson McKee, program co-ordinator at the sobering centre, stressed the accommodations are voluntary but a medical assessment is required for people wanting to enter the centre.
She said requirements to being admitted are that the individual is intoxicated yet not in need of hospital services, is there to rest and not socialize and must be able to physically move independently with minimal help from staff.
The centre will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 a.m., yet will stop admitting people at 2 a.m. to allow for a period of sobering.
McKee said there will be four staff from the NWT Disabilities Council and one medical staff in a tent set up just inside the doors where people will be admitted.
After the medical check, people will be given a spot to sleep in one of the tents. Each tent is divided by a thin lining into two separate sleeping areas. A thin foam mat and tarp are the only furnishings inside the tent. McKee said there will be no blankets or pillows offered for safety reasons.
"For the logistics of the operation, we're not doing sleeping bags," she said. "Just so that everyone is safe and healthy. Also we wanted to have a tarp if there was ever a need in an evacuation to move somebody, so that they could be quickly and safely moved out of the building."
Bart Strak, operations manager at Advanced Medical Solutions (AMS), described the medical assessment each arrival to the sobering centre will undergo.
"As they enter the tent they will be assessed for their vital signs," he said. "They will also be assessed for their mental state, so are they compliant with directions? Are they aggressive? Do they need other assistance?"
Sobering centre clientele will also be given a questionnaire asking about medications, allergies, past medical history as well as screening questions for tuberculosis and other infections. Clients who are at-risk due to pre-existing medical conditions or intoxication due to drugs will be identified by an EMT, checked on throughout their stay and given a medical assessment before they leave.
McKee said the first name and first initial of the last name of every person entering the centre will be recorded.
Strak said the initial intake may not show that a person needs additional services, so it will be crucial for staff to build rapport.
"We understand that we can hand out a pamphlet, but once we hand that pamphlet out they are more unlikely to follow up on that," he said.
The centre is operated by the NWT Disabilities Council, under a contract with the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority.
A mobile street outreach program, started Monday and run by the Yellowknife Women's Society under a contract with the city, will provide transportation to the centre.
In the early mornings, those at the sobering centre will be offered a ride to the Safe Harbour Day Shelter. AMS, in partnership with the city, will provide this transportation.
At 5 a.m., staff at the centre will begin waking people up and sending them on their way with a bag containing a granola bar, juice box and a water bottle. At 6 a.m. the day shelter opens.
The date to vacate the temporary sobering centre looms.
The Yellowknife Community Arena will house the sobering centre until Sept. 15, and health minister Glen Abernethy is still in search of a permanent solution.
Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart said during a tour of the centre that while it was a positive step to open it, a permanent solution is sorely needed.
"The government does have assets downtown, and I think it's about time we re-purposed those assets to get us the facility we need," he said. "If there are no options among the private sector or existing assets, then we should build a new one."
Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly toured the centre Monday. He said he would like to see the statistics on emergency visits and calls to RCMP when the temporary location closes.
A news release stated the budget for program operations and staff is approximately $900,000. Final costs will not be known until a long-term location is found.
Mayor Mark Heyck said Monday the opening of the sobering centre is "proof positive" of what can come from collaboration between the city, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, the GNWT, the RCMP and social service agencies.
