The territorial government is starting an on-the-land camp on the Ingraham Trail outside Yellowknife to “offer safe, stable accommodations and essential support services for people experiencing homelessness.”
The territory announced the 10-week camp for 20 to 30 people on Monday, calling it a “temporary solution that provides a place for people to stay safe and warm during the winter.”
The camp will be run by a non-governmental organization, the GNWT said. While the territory did not initially name the NGO that would be responsible, a spokesperson told Cabin Radio after this article was first published that the camp operator will be a group known as NWT Integration and Community Services or NWT-ICS.
Operations are being funded by $635,000 from a “third party” that the GNWT did not initially name. The territory later said the funding is from the federal government, but said it would not disclose more detail until a separate federal funding announcement had taken place.
A smaller $7,000 contribution comes from the GNWT.
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The GNWT said the camp will offer “dorm-style cabins heated by wood stoves, heated outhouses and showers, and a central kitchen cabin for meals and community activities.”
“Yellowknife’s emergency shelters are currently operating beyond capacity, increasing the risk that residents will be without a safe place to stay and increasing concerns about safety and overcrowding,” a Monday news release stated.
“The on-the-land camp is designed to alleviate pressure on the city’s shelter system by offering an alternative, abstinence-based environment focused on stability and wellness.”
The GNWT said it had spoken with NGOs and people without homes in the course of developing the camp idea. The territory said “many individuals expressed interest in participating in programs that are away from the downtown core and based on abstinence principles.”
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Emergency medical support will be available at the camp around the clock, the territory said. Counselling will be available two days a week and cultural programming three days a week.
While NWT-ICS is not an established operator in the sector, a Facebook page that appears to be associated with the group says it began in 2021 through volunteers “dedicated to empowering and enhancing the lives of the northern community.”
The group lists five Yellowknife-based directors in an October corporate registries filing. The directors describe themselves as a teacher, civil servant, entrepreneur, counsellor and human services worker. Ambe Chenemu, who ran for territorial office in the city last year (losing to Robert Hawkins), is among them.
Premier RJ Simpson, whose office is in charge of the NWT’s homelessness initiatives, said the camp would provide “not only immediate shelter but also essential support services that can help individuals work toward stability and independence.”
While the precise location of the camp was not given, the GNWT said applications to participate are available from Yellowknife’s Integrated Service Delivery office at 4510 50 Avenue.
You need to be aged 19 or over, in Yellowknife and “currently using shelters or sleeping rough” to apply.
More: Read a GNWT Q&A about the new camp
“A committee of GNWT staff and NGO representatives who work with this population will review applications to identify residents who are both suitable and likely to succeed in this environment,” the territory stated.
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“The primary focus will be on ensuring resident safety, particularly regarding drug and alcohol use, as well as other known medical conditions.”
More broadly, the GNWT said the camp was a temporary solution “while more longer-term housing solutions are established.”
“It is not intended to be a permanent solution to homelessness,” the territory concluded.
