Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 16, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - The YWCA is facing a funding shortfall for its shelters and transitional housing.

The organization runs Alison McAteer House, an emergency women's shelter, and the Rockhill apartments, a 39-unit complex for transitional and emergency family housing.

Kate Wilson, director of transitional housing with the YWCA, stands in front of the fuel tank outside Rockhill apartments, a home for families facing homelessness. The rising cost of fuel is making it difficult for the shelter to operate. - Cara Loverock/ NNSL Photo

The cost of fuel with the increasing cost of repairs has added an extra $24,500 burden for this fiscal year, in comparison to last year. To make things worse, the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition has redirected $50,000 usually donated to the YWCA towards the plan to build a Bailey House shelter for women.

"How are we going to make this work?" said YWCA Executive Director Lyda Fuller.

The heating bill turned out to be twice what is usually is at this time of year.

"It threw us for a loop," said Fuller. "We're exploring what we can do."

The Rockhill building was donated by the territorial government, however the YWCA is responsible for paying all utilities, repairs and maintenance. Their funding agreement with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is only for the emergency shelter and does not cover forced growth items, such as the cost of fuel oil.

The cost of fuel was a little over a dollar a litre for November and 98.2 a litre for December.

Rockhill has been in operation for 10 years. In 2007, the emergency units housed 26 families and 56 in the transitional units. In total 137 kids were housed in either emergency or transitional housing.

"Everybody focuses on homeless men and homeless women, because that's who you see on the street," said Fuller. "There are homeless families and that's why I want to keep Rockhill as an option because otherwise you're going to have homeless kids on the street."

Kate Wilson, director of transitional housing for the YWCA, said the families staying at Rockhill get more than just a roof over their head. They also have access to support staff who offer life skills training and programs for children who have experienced violence.

"We can't keep up, not with the bills," said Wilson. "We have families experiencing homelessness and nobody is stepping in to help."

Wilson said that without the expected $50,000 from the homelessness coalition, which is used to keep a staff member at the housing facility, they will be down to two staff members in addition to two night staff who work on rotation and one maintenance person for all YWCA housing.

In November, Health and Social Services Minister Sandy Lee said Alison McAteer House, the YWCA shelter for women fleeing abuse, would not close despite serious financial problems.

Fuller said she has not heard any more details from the government on the fate of that shelter. Though Alison McAteer House is facing financing woes, the YWCA has raised salaries to keep staff, a move that may force them to eventually close.

"It's wait and see," said Fuller concerning the fate of the shelter.