INUVIK
The Inuvik Homeless Shelter is experimenting with a pilot project to keep the facility open 24 hours a day for four days a week.

The Inuvik Homeless Shelter is experimenting with a pilot project to keep it open 24 hours a day from Monday to Thursday with good results so far. Pictured are board secretary Laura Worsley-Brown, left, shelter manager Loretta Rogers and board chair Susan Peffer. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

It's a move to better serve the shelter's clientele, and to provide them with a place to go and increased access to services during the day, said board members Susan Peffer and Laura Worsley-Brown during an interview July 14 along with shelter manager Loretta Rogers.

The shelter has typically been open to the clients from 6 p.m. until 10 a.m. seven days a week, but there was a general recognition that those hours weren't serving the needs of the clients as well as possible, Rogers said.

It will now be open Monday to Thursday 24 hours a day, with it running regular hours the remaining days.

That makes this a true "good news story," the three women said.

The organization recently hired a new bookkeeper who identified several areas where cost savings could be used to help pay for the extended hours.

"So we rearranged the budget, where she saw some overlap in a few things," Peffer said.

"We were able to reduce overtime," Worsley-Brown added. "We'll do an analysis after a few months. It was by finding staff efficiencies through a new schedule."

That's how the pilot project was born, she added.

The board of directors will now evaluate the new structure after "a couple of months," added Worsley-Brown, and make a decision whether to expand the program.

The concept of a 24-hour shelter, particularly with daytime access, has been one of the missing elements in programs designed to help Inuvik's homeless population, Rogers said.

It's been talked about for a while, but funding has always been the issue, Worsley-Brown said.

The shelter is funded via the GNWT, she explained, and it's a tight budget with little margin for error. There is some additional fundraising done by the shelter, but extra money remains difficult to come by.

Worsley-Brown said the board has looked at implementing a full 24-hour operation every day of the week, but that's not possible without extra funding.

"We're hopeful that'll be forthcoming," she said.

"Our budget is very, very small," Rogers added.

Clients of the shelter, some of whom return night after night, have little to do and few options to spend their time during the day, she said.

That's particularly of concern during the winter months, but even during the summer, the options for her clients are more limited.

"This gives them a safe place to go where they don't have to worry about someone trying to get them to drink or whatever," said Rogers. "That's why I'm thankful the shelter is open 24 hours."

"It's been very positive so far," added Peffer.

Most of the shelter clients didn't want to speak to the Inuvik Drum. One, however, said "this is a very good place here."

"They're doing really well," she added.

The shelter can house up to 20 people a night, and a few more can be squeezed in as necessary, Rogers said. There are five rooms available, most of which can accommodate four people at a time.

Clients can't be using drugs or alcohol while they're at the shelter, and must abide by a code of conduct.

There are laundry and kitchen facilities available as well, along with two television lounges.