An on-the-land camp operated for the past 10 weeks just outside Yellowknife is closing, the NWT government said on Wednesday.
The camp was announced in November as a temporary initiative to offer accommodation and land-based programming for people experiencing homelessness, while reducing pressure on the city’s shelter system.
The program was funded through a $635,000 contribution from the federal government and $7,000 from the GNWT.
The GNWT said on Wednesday that remaining camp residents were transported back to Yellowknife on Tuesday to comply with the terms of its lease for the facility at Camp Connections, on the Ingraham Trail. The lease ends on Friday.
Staff are working with residents on “transition planning, including connections to other programs and services,” the GNWT stated.
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The camp had the capacity to temporarily house up to 30 people. The GNWT said there were between six and 20 people living at the camp throughout the duration of the program.
The option of the camp was described as a “blessing” by a camp resident whose health was improved, they said, after entering the program. Operators of other non-profits said the cost per person of operating the camp appeared to be high compared to funding available elsewhere.
The GNWT said data collected by shelters in Yellowknife over the past five weeks indicates the number of people living in the camp exceeds the number of available shelter spaces by one person.
The on-the-land camp was operated by NWT Integration and Community Services, or NWT-ICS, which was founded in 2021.
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This was the first program NWT-ICS took on in partnership with the GNWT.
In the news release, premier and minister responsible for homelessness RJ Simpson wrote in part: “The importance and benefits of abstinence-based environments, and of land-based and culturally grounded supports, will continue to inform the department’s renewed focus on more permanent solutions, such as the development of additional transitional and supportive housing options.”
