THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - The seven aboriginal friendship centres in the NWT find themselves in a funding bind.

They are awaiting money from two Department of Canadian Heritage annual funding programs - the Aboriginal Friendship Centre Program and Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth.

"You know the feds, they're so slow," said Tina McNeill, the northern representative for the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC).

McNeill said some Friendship Centres in the North have been forced to lay off workers, adding all centres have been told by the regional office in Whitehorse not to start programming until the funding issue is resolved.

That includes Uncle Gabe's Friendship Centre in Fort Smith, where McNeill is the executive director.

"We're hoping the minister will sign off on an agreement," she said. "Once that's done, we're OK."

She said negotiations have already concluded between the federal government and the NAFC.

However, McNeill is worried the funding won't become available for several months.

"We don't foresee any funding until July," she said.

The youth programming at Uncle Gabe's and other Friendship Centres is largely supported by Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth, which was formerly known as the Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres (UMAYC).

McNeill said the change of youth funding programs has contributed to the delay.

On March 31 at the end of the fiscal year, Uncle Gabe's laid off all youth program staff - one full-time worker, two part-timers and five casual employees, including a cook.

However, the cook has been rehired to continue to offer a lunch program for students. The community raised $12,157 to support the lunch program and pay the cook.

McNeill said Uncle Gabe's needs a little more than $6,000 to pay for a youth co-ordinator and two youth workers.

"Our youth centre is closed," McNeill said, adding she hopes it will be reopened in late April.

She said Uncle Gabe's is continuing to raise funds and accept donations.

Tim Warmington, a public relations officer with Canadian Heritage, said the department is assessing funding applications received under Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth and is making every effort to process them as quickly as possible.

"Throughout the process, organizations are being kept informed of the status of their application," he said in an e-mail response to News/North questions. "We realize the importance of funding for these organizations and are working to release funding as quickly as possible."

Warmington noted Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth does not provide operational funding for friendship centres, but rather for community-based, culturally-focused projects for aboriginal youth aged 10 to 24.

In 2008-2009, the federal government provided a little more than $1 million in funding for projects in the NWT under the former UMAYC program. Of that total, about 84 per cent was delivered by projects at friendship centres.

The Aboriginal Friendship Centre Program provides operational funding.

Without funding from the program, Uncle Gabe's will lay off its finance officer by April 30.

McNeill will continue to work on a volunteer basis until funding arrives.

"Day-to-day operation has to continue," she said.

McNeill said Northern friendship centres are affected more by the funding delay than those in southern Canada. That's because the territorial government has no specific funding for friendship centres (although there is occasional project funding), while support is offered by provincial governments to centres in the south.