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'We just want to stay warm and sleep'
Homeless duo bemoans plan to fence off visitors' centre; Salvation Army says shelter never turns anybody away

Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Wednesday, October 7, 2015

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Putting a fence around the visitor's centre to prevent people from sleeping underneath it is a high priority for the centre, much to the chagrin of those who may sleep there.

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Debris in the vicinity of what appears to be a squatters encampment near the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in September. As the weather gets colder, homeless people in the city say they are pressed to find shelter space. - Walter Strong/NNSL photo

"It is one of our first priorities and it isn't anything against the homeless, we are just really tired of picking up garbage. It is disgusting," said Tracy Therrien, executive director of the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre. The fence was supposed to be put up last month but due to a building assessment by the territorial government, it has been delayed.

During the winter months, Therrien said, people more frequently stay overnight under the visitors centre, but also do so throughout the year. While she said people haven't been bothersome during the day when employees of the visitors centre are on site, she said there is a tendency for garbage to be left over when employees come to work in the morning, such as toilet paper, cigarette butts and bottles.

The NWT Coroner's Officer reported that Patricia Stewart, nearly 60-years-old and born in Fort McPherson, died April 15, 2014 underneath the building due to cold exposure and ethanol intoxication as a contributing factor.

Therrien said the board has decided not to discuss the incident publicly.

Sophie and James Thrasher, two homeless siblings who are well known on the streets and who say they were related to Stewart, say the fencing is uncalled for because it has heightened pressure to find a temporary roof overhead. They said Stewart was remembered for having used that spot often.

"That is the warmest place but there are lots of other places," said Sophie, who added that finding a place to stay from night to night is an ongoing challenge.

"It keeps people out of the snow and the wind and the rain. We're not offending nobody, we just want to stay warm and sleep."

James is frustrated about the news that fencing was being considered.

"I think it shows ignorance because putting up a fence just blocks out people from doing what they want to do or not doing what they want to do," he said.

"Why, why, why. Why would you put fencing up? People are already having a hard time to (find shelter)."

There are options for the homeless in the city but there are limitations, according to those directly involved with providing services.

Denise McKee has overseen the Safe Harbour Day Centre for the last year - a facility that's open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to people needing a place to stay, whether or not they're under the influence.

She said while the shelter provides numerous social services from many organizations, there remains demand for places like the visitor centre.

"I think the most obvious thing is that there aren't enough beds," she said. "Nobody is going to crawl under a building at 50 below and have that as their choice of overnight accommodation.

"We need to create safe environments inside the shelter that are inviting, that welcome people in that are non-judgemental so that people can access them."

She said putting a fence up is "like putting a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage" and that if places like the visitors centre are taken away, they will be replaced by something else. This is because the centre is one spot used not only to duck the weather conditions but also to find a place where they are less vulnerable to physical or domestic violence, or theft.

Capt. Dusty Sauder of the Salvation Army said at the emergency men's shelter, which is open at 7 p.m. and closes at 7 a.m., there is a "technical" maximum occupancy of 45.

This includes an overflow from the 31 official beds available, but the shelter never turns anyone away no matter the number as long as they aren't causing a disturbance, Sauder said.

"They have been fairly full this year," he said. "Our average from January to September was 30 persons per night on average from January to a month ago."

Attempts were made to contact the Centre for Northern Families for Women last week but calls were not received by press time.

According to its website, the emergency shelter provides service to women older than 19 from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. nightly.

Therrien said the fence is now delayed until the GNWT Department of Public Works and Services completes a technical systems analysis report of the building, looking at the long-term repairs that need to be done.

"(The fence won't be put up) until we know what the determined fix will be," said Therrien.

Kris Johnson, regional superintendent at the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has been working closely with the visitors centre and public works and said a government report is to be done in six weeks which she said will provide a full picture of the building's functions and needs for the first time.

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