Sobering centre and day shelter to be downtown
Move could take until end of month, temporary sobering centre needs to be vacated by Friday
This is the proposed new location of a sobering centre and day shelter, located at 5111 50 St. The city sent out notices Monday to property owners in the immediate vicinity of the building asking for comments by Sept. 22. The proposal will then go to city council for approval. - Emelie Peacock/NNSL photo |
Emelie Peacock
Northern News Services
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city and territorial government are proposing a permanent downtown location for a sobering centre and day shelter as a deadline looms for vacating the temporary sobering centre at the Yellowknife community arena.
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Businesses wary of new location
The word is out on where a proposed new day shelter and sobering centre is going to be and nearby businesses are not liking what they hear.
Jimmy Kong, owner and manager of the Northern Lites Motel which neighbours the location at 5111 50 Street, said the move would be detrimental to his business.
"We've tried to clean up this place. A couple of years ago too many drunks were hanging out in this area, now there are almost none," said Kong.
"Now they'll put the drunk people here again. One thing, it's hurting the business. Another thing, it destroys the environment here again."
Phil Tourangeau works at the motel and said it would see fewer guests if the sobering centre and day shelter were housed next door.
Ranilo Ramirez, manager of Subway at the corner of 50 Street and 51 Avenue, said the restaurant faces daily problems including intoxicated visitors, cases of people drinking in the restaurant, issues with washroom cleanliness and staff and patron safety. On occasion, Ramirez said he has had to call RCMP.
Ramirez agreed the initiative is a good one for those in need. His concern is primarily with how the traffic from the proposed location, two buildings away from his storefront, will be handled.
"Ultimately we're the one that's dealing with it. Not the city, not anyone else," he said. "It's a good thing what they're doing, they're doing something about the people that are in need of this but I guess they should have thought more of the location."
One property owner, who asked not to be identified by name, said the Safe Harbour Day Centre has negatively affected their ability to rent spaces in their building and sell the building. He said the value of his building has gone down, partially as a result of the day shelter and partially due to economic conditions.
Bruce Valpy, CEO of Canarctic Graphics and publisher of Northern News Services, which owns the space, said the consolidated day shelter and sobering centre will be a step toward mitigating some of the problems faced in the downtown area.
"The problem is downtown, so the solution has to be downtown," he said. "As a landlord, we're going to mitigate any problems that our neighbours are going to be suffering. And we're going to be holding the government responsible for making sure that doesn't happen. They're responsible for security, and general quiet enjoyment of the neighbours is part of that."
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The city sent out notices to landowners in the immediate vicinity of 5111 50 Street on Monday, the proposed new location of a sobering centre and day shelter. The temporary location, housed at the Yellowknife community arena, needs to be vacated by Sept. 15.
The new location is owned by Northern News Services, which publishes Yellowknifer. It most recently housed Canarctic Graphics, a sister company of Northern News Services.
Bruce Valpy, CEO of Canarctic Graphics and publisher of Northern News Services, said he began discussions with the GNWT and the city in June about leasing the space as Canarctic no longer needed it.
Health Minister Glen Abernethy announced in a news release Tuesday that his department had signed a five-year lease with Northern News Services after looking at 22 other potential sites. The next steps will be finalizing the design for renovations and putting out a tender for a construction company to do 'extensive upgrades' to the 4,750 square foot building, according to the news release.
The new space will house both the sobering centre and a day shelter, accommodating between 30 and 40 people for the day shelter and up to 26 people in the sobering centre.
The sobering centre will have separate spaces for men and women and will only admit people 19 years and older.
The proposal is scheduled to be reviewed by city council Sept. 25.
Richard McIntosh, a communications officer with the city, stated in an email that ice will be put in at the Yellowknife Community Arena on Sept. 17 and then opened to the public Oct. 2.
As of press time no interim location to house the sobering centre has been identified.
A news release stated the GNWT is working to assess the scope of renovations needed to the new space and once this is finished it will work on identifying an interim location.
On July 17 the Department of Health and Social Services together with the city and the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority opened a temporary space to house up to 28 intoxicated individuals who needed a place to sleep.
The centre is run by the NWT Disabilities Council and executive director Denise McKee said the centre has housed an average of 11 people per night since it opened.
The sobering centre and day shelter are considered special care facilities under city rules, the notice to landowners states. These types of facilities require a decision by city council.
Coun. Linda Bussey, chair of the community advisory board on homelessness, said she had not heard about the proposed location when reached Monday. She said having the two services under one roof is a positive step.
"It's great that we have a place and we need to co-habitate together. We need to offer the sobering centre an opportunity," she said, when asked what she would say to the business owners who may not be pleased with the plan.
"If we have all the services and programs the sobering centre is going to offer, I think it's going to be OK. There's a learning curve for sure but I think its going to be OK."
Lydia Bardak, co-ordinator of the mobile street outreach program that often transports people to the sobering centre, said she hasn't been told about the move. She said her team will adjust their operations when they are told, adding it would only become an issue if there is no place to bring people after the temporary location closes Friday.
A longtime advocate for the city's homeless population, Bardak said the city should keep safety in mind when designing the new location such as having an open floor plan and clear sight lines throughout the location and to the washrooms.
