Advocates say Yellowknife’s shelter system is in crisis

Yellowknife’s shelter system could collapse if swift action isn’t taken to improve capacity, Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan says.

Speaking in the legislature this week, Morgan said the Salvation Army had recently reported as many as 64 men staying in its emergency shelter, more than twice the facility’s capacity.

“It leads to overcrowding, which immediately leads to violence,” Salvation Army executive director Tony Brushett told Cabin Radio.

“Violence is a nightly occurrence for us.”

Now, Brushett says, the Salvation Army has had to cut the number of people it allows to stay at the shelter to 45 because of fire regulations.

According to Brushett, this means there are likely another 15 or so men looking for a place to stay every night.

Typically, the shelter would see usage drop below its usual 31-person capacity at this time of year because warmer temperatures make camping and sleeping outside seem more feasible. This year, Brushett is not seeing that drop in usage.

“The numbers are continuing to grow and, as they’re growing, we’re worried about the winter, because that means they’re probably going to grow even more next winter,” said Brushett.

He said he’s heard from regular shelter users who, after last year’s wildfire evacuation, brought friends and family members – who also lack access to housing – back with them to Yellowknife.

“We’re at that point now where I think it’s safe to call this a crisis,” said Brushett.

Sleeping on chairs

The Yellowknife Women’s Centre has noticed a similar increase in demand after the evacuation.

“During the winter, there were times where we had no beds or mats, and so some individuals just ended up sleeping on chairs. We had no other room or anywhere else to put them and we didn’t want to turn them away,” said executive director Renee Sanderson.

She noted the centre has also seen an increase in violence, due perhaps to overcrowding and perhaps to increased use of drugs like crack cocaine.

“Having that many women in one building to two staff, it’s a risk,” said Sanderson.

To improve the dire state of shelters, Brushett said the GNWT should open a facility catering to people with severe mental health or addictions issues and people recently released from prison.

“The bigger picture is, Yellowknife needs a purpose-built 24/7 shelter with all the wraparound services,” said Brushett.

The Yellowknife Salvation Army men’s shelter offers beds and meals during the evenings but people are expected to leave by 7am every day.

Brushett said a facility that would allow people to stay during the day, and that could offer the services of case workers and counsellors, could help more people move into stable housing.

New facility by ‘late 2026’

A new wellness and recovery centre, planned for downtown Yellowknife’s 51 Street, is intended to replace the current sobering centre on 49 Street and a temporary day shelter operating from portable units opposite the Explorer Hotel.

Questioned by Morgan in the legislature on Tuesday, health minister Lesa Semmler said the new centre will accommodate 31 people overnight – up from 22 at the sobering centre – with room for 85 people during the day.

“The facility is also built to be flexible and the ability to provide approximately 35 additional sleeping spaces if necessary,” Semmler said.

Late last year, the GNWT said it hoped the facility would be “completed and operational before the summer of 2026.” Now, the territory’s website says occupancy of the building is not expected until late 2026.

In the meantime, Semmler said the GNWT is trying to help by reducing the reporting burden on non-profits reliant on its funding, providing more training and improving integrated service delivery, which helps people get access to the right government services.

“I think it’s trying to find an immediate solution until we have access to an [additional] building or location,” said Sanderson.

“That’s going to require us to be thinking outside the box, and doing something that’s not necessarily what has been done before.”