City denied alcohol program funds
Federal government gives no reason why application for managing addiction was turned down
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, March 3, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The federal government has rejected a City of Yellowknife request for $500,000 to research and develop a managed alcohol program for two years, according to Coun. Linda Bussey.
Health and Social Services minister Glen Abernethy says GNWT will continue researching a managed alcohol program. |
"I can sadly say that we were not successful," she said Wednesday.
There was no explanation for the denial in an e-mail received by the city on Monday, she said.
The city declined to provide a copy of its application to Yellowknifer.
Bussey said the city had sought the money through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, which funds the city's Housing First program. Housing First's funding is not affected by the denial.
The harm reduction program provides a person addicted to alcohol with a small dose of alcohol at several points during the day. The goal is to keep people from binging on alcohol or other products like hairspray.
Both the city and territorial government have been exploring the possibility of starting a managed alcohol program as one of several options to deal with addictions, mental health and homelessness issues affecting the city.
Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy has said the GNWT would research a managed alcohol program, potentially operating it from a future sobering centre. After the city applied for funding, Abernethy said the GNWT would wait to find out what happens with the application.
Yesterday, he said the GNWT will continue its research.
"It doesn't change our plan that we are still exploring putting something like a managed alcohol program into our sobering centre once it has been up and running for a while," he said.
Abernethy said the GNWT has potentially found a location for a sobering centre outside downtown but won't provide more details until the location is finalized. That location could be used for about two years until a location downtown becomes available.
Bussey said the rejection of the city's application would be discussed at the upcoming Community Advisory Board on Homelessness meeting. She's the chairperson of the committee that directs the city's homelessness priorities and spending.
"I'm going to see if we'll look for another source of funding, if we'll try again. First of all we need to understand why we were declined for this funding," Bussey said.
Employment and Social Development Canada, which is responsible for the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, did not respond before press time to a request for information about why the application was denied. A request for an interview with Northwest Territories MP Michael McLeod was turned down.
A managed alcohol program was one of several programs recommended by a committee formed by the territorial government and led by Mayor Mark Heyck last summer.
The group's final report, Yellowknife Homelessness Road Map Action Plan, stated there is research showing managed alcohol programs "are effective in stabilizing individuals with severe addictions, providing them with the opportunity to access other services, and reducing the strain on police, emergency responders and emergency rooms."
It called on Health and Social Services to undertake an assessment of what a program would look like in the city and consider launching a pilot project.
