Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 02/00) - A peek inside a unit at Rockhill Apartments tells the story of how the Transitional Housing Program at the YWCA is working.

Carol Ovayuak moved to Yellowknife from Tuktoyaktuk many years ago and hasn't had an easy time of it. Without delving deeply into her own personal affairs, she said her and her family have fallen on hard times.

"Me and my boys have been through a lot in the past few years," she said candidly.

"Living here helps me a lot."

Ten-year-old Sam and eight-year-old Andrew live comfortably, sharing a bedroom and spending much of their summer playing outdoors or inside the neat two-bedroom unit.

Ovayuak is currently settling into a life more stable than what she previously led, living with friends. She said having a shelter, one of life's necessities taken care of, allows her to think about progress.

"There's people here I can talk to and we have a roof over our heads. It feels great," she said.

"I mean, you're a human being and it's my apartment for me and my children, no one else's and it's our privacy."

It's been almost three years since the housing project moved from Northern United Place -- a complex of single-unit residences now used to house Aurora College students -- to Rockhill Apartments.

Personnel and program directors at the YWCA are thankful and say the comfort provided by family-sized units allow for the stability many families in crises need to springboard from, finding jobs and moving forward in life.

"We look at a person's life," said the program's director Kate Wilson. "You can see a real difference in how they enter the program and how they exit."

And as for how the success stories stack up against any abuses of the program, Wilson says there's no comparison.

"We see success big time," she said with a smile. "Many times what the person wants to be is a good mom and we see success for that person as a big jump."

An update on the program's new location illustrates how its period of settling has been beneficial for many unsettled families. The big difference they say is that Rockhill Apartments is a place suited for families and the outcome has helped the entire community.

Wilson said when the centre initially moved, families seemed to be in a constant state of crisis but now "they're more open to doing things for themselves, moving on," she said.

Ovayuak doesn't have a full-time job yet. She babysits and does odd jobs, she explained as she lit a scented candle on her neat kitchen table.

"For me and the children it's positive," she said. "It just takes some time for me and my children now to feel stable."