NWT health minister Lesa Semmler says she’ll meet with the City of Yellowknife over how the street outreach program is funded.
Semmler made the remarks in the legislature last week in response to questions from Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins.
Street outreach provides vulnerable people safe rides in the city, as well as water and snacks. The Yellowknife Women’s Society, which runs the program, has recently struggled to keep both of its vans on the road. Residents have responded with fundraisers like a tribute concert to be held in April.
The city provides $360,000 annually to the program. Recently, the women’s society and some city councillors have called for street outreach’s funding to be increased, which would allow the program to become more advanced – but the majority of councillors say that money should come from the NWT government, not the municipality.
Last week, city councillors rejected a proposal to commit more municipal funds to an expansion of street outreach. Some called on the GNWT to step up.
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The city is already “picking up programs that really, rightly, should go on to the GNWT,” Hawkins told the legislature shortly after that decision was made.
The Yellowknife Women’s Society says a more advanced model for street outreach would include emergency first aid, case management, harm reduction and some public health services in a mobile unit.
The women’s society has said the expanded program would require $1.1 million per year in start-up costs as well as $350,000 to cover equipment and retrofitting a van.
“I’m willing to meet with the City of Yellowknife,” Semmler said.
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“I already have received an invite to meet with them on some of the programs that they have.
“We don’t have a scheduled date yet, but I’m hoping that it will be before the end of this fiscal year.”
Separately, the federal government has committed $100,000 for a consultant to review street outreach, provide recommendations about the best operating model and draft a multi-year funding proposal to be presented to the federal and territorial governments.
The territorial government previously partnered with the federal government to contribute one-time funding of $250,000 to the program, according to city manager Sheila Bassi-Kellett.
While Semmler said she will meet with the city, the minister said she could not yet commit to any contribution.
