Inuvik has secured territorial funding to help relaunch the Inuvik Works program and bring back a thrift store the town had been without for some years.
Inuvik Works, a program to help people get back into the workforce, has operated in the past but did not exist in recent years until town council decided in November to relaunch it.
The last version of Inuvik Works helped people who were “living in shelters or otherwise struggling” to get training, open a bank account and find work, the town has said.
The municipality has now received $28,375 from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment for the program.
Mayor Peter Clarkson said restarting Inuvik Works will also involve the return of used clothing store Next to New, which existed roughly a decade ago. He said no similar alternative existed after it closed.
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“We wanted to actually get something that people have wanted for quite a while and get that accomplished,” he told Cabin Radio.
“We’ve had a building – it was used previously for the Inuvik Works project – which has just been sitting closed for a while, and so we’re getting that up and running.”
Clarkson said the town will still try to secure more funding to employ staff and conduct necessary training. He hopes for contributions from up to six or seven different sources with whom the town is in contact.
Ultimately, he said the town could require almost $600,000 every year to keep the program running.
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“We will look at the individuals in the program and see what training they need to help them move forward with their future work and career,” he said.
Longtime resident Patricia Davison began working as the temporary manager of Inuvik Works on Wednesday with two goals in mind: building a long-term sustainability plan for the project and opening a fresh Next to New store in March.
The vacant building provided for the store is located in downtown Inuvik, near the public library.
Davison said residents usually leave unwanted items by the blue bin outside their homes in the hope that passersby will take anything they need. If nobody picks up the items, they are thrown away. With the thrift store, that could change.
“There’s nowhere right now for people to donate or to get products from any kind of consignment store or thrift store or anything like that,” she said.
“At many of the community meetings or community gatherings, people talk about the Next to New store and how it’s needed.”
Davison, who was present in the town when the former Inuvik Works program was in action, said it was a “very well used and needed service.”
She said many residents spoke highly of the program and how it helped them acquire skills for various jobs.
In her role, she will look for more funding opportunities to ensure the program continues.
“I think it’s a much-needed project and if I can in some small way help it become sustainable again, or help it become active again, then I really wanted to do my part,” she said.
