More money for Housing First
Yellowknife Women's Society only bid to run program aimed to address homelessness
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, June 10, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The federal government is giving the city more money over two years for Housing First as only one organization has come forward seeking to administer the program that aims to reduce homelessness.
Coun. Linda Bussey said she was notified the city will get $117,278 extra per year for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 fiscal years from the federal Homelessness Partnering Strategy.
"It's very exciting," Bussey said Wednesday. "It takes a burden off our back for money and it's going to ... help the proponent deliver a better service and maybe help more people."
The Liberal government in its federal budget increased funding for the strategy by $111.8 million over two years.
Housing First is a model that has proven successful in other Canadian cities to reduce homelessness by first getting people into a home and then providing social services to address underlying issues, like addictions and mental health.
Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy said in the legislative assembly Wednesday his department is committed to "ensure that all required clinical supports be made available to all Housing First clients."
The GNWT isn't anticipating a high extra cost to provide services because the city is starting with a small number of people, Abernethy said.
The city's plan, which has been in the works for several years, is to start with at least one person in market housing - a rent-subsidized apartment in a building somewhere in the city - by the end of August. It would ramp up to 20 people by the 2018-19 fiscal year, when the funding provided so far is set to end. The city had sought a non-governmental organization to administer the program. The Yellowknife Women's Society submitted the only proposal, Bussey said. She wasn't able to share any further details yet. The proposal will undergo an evaluation and will then be discussed June 16 at a Community Advisory Board on Homelessness meeting, a city committee Bussey leads.
Society board chairperson Anusa Sivalingam said while the group is the only proponent, its proposal must still be accepted and more details can be released at that point.
She described the proposed a plan as one the non-governmental organization could feasibly expand as more people are served under Housing First. She added the Yellowknife Women's Society mandate does include men.
"Less people being homeless means more people being safe," she said.
Meanwhile, Bussey said she's hoping to speak with Caroline Cochrane about an exchange in the legislative assembly this week in which the minister responsible for homelessness suggested a GNWT plan to address homelessness is more cost effective and would help more people. The territorial government is pushing a plan that would create around 30 units of semi-independent housing connected to existing shelters.
Bussey doesn't believe there was ill intent in remarks.
"I hope that they see the value of Housing First," Bussey said.
Housing was a theme of debate in the assembly Wednesday. Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green, whose district covers downtown, said people shouldn't expect the two plans to end homelessness.
"It's not going to go away," Green said in the assembly. "This new investment will give people who are now homeless options to obtain housing. This is strictly voluntary."
She said a factor that needs to be considered is the migration of people from other communities in the territory to the city who then end up homeless.
The health minister also said Wednesday the GNWT needs to explore options for harm reduction in Yellowknife.
That would include things like "a wet shelter or a managed drinking program," Abernethy said.
