SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Wayne Goose just wants somewhere his daughters can come to visit him.

Wayne Goose, who relies on both day and night shelters in Yellowknife, says that a Housing First strategy that would put people in actual homes would go a long way to solving the city's homelessness issues. This model has been adopted with success in other cities such as Medicine Hat. - James Goldie/NNSL photo Gino Pin hands out information on Franklin Avenue Oct. 9 about the new Yellowknife Homeful Partnership, a group of local business people seeking solutions to the city's homelessness problem. - James Goldie/NNSL photo

He spends his nights at the Salvation Army's emergency men's shelter and his days at the Safe Harbour Day Centre - neither places for a father to bring his children.

Originally from Ulukhaktok, he first came to Yellowknife five years ago for medical reasons and has been effectively stuck here ever since for a number of reasons - the high cost of flights, some trouble with the law and some "personal issues" he is still working through.

According to Goose, a home of his own would make all the difference in the world in sorting out his life and getting back on his feet.

"Having housing would really help me avoid marijuana, alcohol and all the trouble that follows," he said, suggesting that it is difficult to get clean and stay clean when surrounded by other homeless people who are frequently intoxicated.

In Yellowknife, governments and non-profit organizations have long been working to address the issue of homelessness but according to one group it's been approached with relatively little input from one segment of society: the private sector. Now, a collection of city businesspeople wants that to change.

There are numerous people who say 'I refuse to go downtown unless I have to' because of the aspect of feeling uncomfortable and insecure."

The Yellowknife Homeful Partnership is a collective of entrepreneurs, business owners and people connected to industry or influential companies in the city, all interested in ending homeless in Yellowknife. The initiative was established almost two years ago by architect Gino Pin, who started bringing together members of the business community for weekly meetings to discuss the situation.

"(We're) a group of Yellowknifers, most of whom have been around for a long time, most of whom are concerned with ... the lack of development and problems associated with downtown, right now specifically with the homeless," he said, citing instances in which business have relocated out of the downtown because of recurring issues related to some homeless individuals including public drunkenness or being cursed at and accosted for money.

"There are numerous people who say 'I refuse to go downtown unless I have to' because of the aspect of feeling uncomfortable and insecure," he said.

Pin said he hopes he and his colleagues can add something new to the discussion.

"Collectively we bring a lot of resources to the table," said Kelly Hayden, vice president of commercial property with Northern Properties REIT and member of the Homeful Partnership.

Hayden says he's a member of the partnership as a private citizen, not as a representative of Northern Properties, so he could not speak to whether the company has plans to contribute to the initiative. He also could not comment on the company's 2014 policy not to rent to people on income assistance.

"What our committee has seen is as newer stuff gets built, everybody kind of upgrades a bit and old stuff becomes available. Things like residential (spaces) that were converted to office because there were bigger office needs are now sitting empty and can go back to residential," he said, pointing out that older hotels could also be converted into housing.

Pin and Hayden said having a "storefront," through which homeless people can be directed to the services best suited to their needs, would be the group's first priority.

According to Hayden, there is "enough money in the system" but a project like this would need some money up front for capital expenditures and obtaining this money will take a community fundraising effort.

"There's definitely a lot of willingness in the private sector to put money or services in-kind in place," he said, adding that while it's unlikely one single company will donate a large lump sum to cover costs, one may, for example, provide food or money.

"You may get some of the landlords to donate a couple apartments. You may get one of the mall owners or something saying, 'We'll give you a place to get started,'" he said.

"We'd be identifying who's out there and what they need," said Pin. "Then we'd be pressing the various levels of government in the city and the various NGOs to actually come up with solutions. And if there are areas where solutions are not easily achievable by those organizations, we would create another organization that would do that."

Pin emphasized his group is not looking to replace existing groups or tackle the problem singlehandedly. He said although a clear plan has yet to be finalized, the group hopes to find homes for at least 10 people before winter, and to do so in concert with NGOs and the city's Community Advisory Board (CAB) on Homelessness.

"We're not doing it independently," said Pin. "We're trying to work with government and with agencies that are out there. We're not trying to work against them. We're not trying to duplicate anything. We're trying to act as a catalyst."

The city conducted a point-in-time count of the homeless population in May in which 150 individuals self-identified as homeless. A 2009 report card on homelessness found more than 900 individuals accessed city shelters in 2008.

Grant White, director of community services at the City of Yellowknife, said the Housing First model is being pursued by the CAB and bringing together all relevant groups (including the business community) is already happening.

"We need co-operation from other levels of government, the private sector, all of this in moving forward with Housing First," said White.

The city is in the early stages of a five-year project developing a Housing First model for Yellowknife.

At Safe Harbour Day Centre, some of the people accessing homelessness services expressed some skepticism of Housing First.

"It's fine and dandy to give them a house, but you're not solving the underlying problems," said Scott Clarke, who has accessed homeless services in the past. "It's way beyond giving them a house."

But Wayne Goose remains hopeful such a program could be a success.

"I would really like to participate in something like that and show the city or the territory that it is possible and it can work," he said.

"I would put my heart into it because I would want a place where my daughters could be able to come and visit me.

"So if I can't reconcile (with my ex), I would at least want a safe place where my children could come and visit me and see that

I'm not drinking."

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