Home Base Yellowknife takes over Street Outreach

Yellowknife’s Street Outreach program has expanded and now has a new operator.

Home Base Yellowknife, a support organization for youth experiencing homelessness in the city, says it was the successful bidder on the city’s contract to manage the program until the end of March 2026.

Home Base said it took over the service effective Thursday morning.

“It’s a new opportunity to expand and do good in the community,” said Tammy Roberts, executive director of Home Base.

Roberts said the organization is taking on the work by expanding its Line Drive youth outreach program, which the group launched last year to offer safe rides and a sobering site to youth aged 12 to 18.

That means the city’s outreach program now provides services to both youth and adults and has a new number to call: 867-446-7233.

“We’re going to do our best to get that out to everybody and we’re even ordering some of those jelly bracelets with the numbers on it,” Roberts said.

Home Base is using its existing Line Drive vehicle to operate the expanded street outreach program and is in the process of acquiring a second, bigger vehicle.

Roberts said other changes include Street Outreach’s hours. The service will operate for 17 hours a day – from 10am to 3am – and two staff will conduct foot patrols in the city’s downtown for five hours each day.

“When there is something new going on, there’s going to be growing pains,” she said.

“Securing staff is our main focus, to make sure we can keep it running for the amount of time that we’ve committed to.”

Program began in 2017

The Yellowknife Street Outreach program had been operated by the Yellowknife Women’s Society since it began in July 2017.

It provides safe rides, food and water to the city’s street-involved population.

It was introduced alongside the city’s first sobering centre in part to reduce reliance on emergency services.

More: A day in the life of Street Outreach

The outreach program began using a new accessible van in September 2024, following issues with older vehicles and after city council agreed to allocate $230,000 in federal funding to purchase the new vehicle.

A city-funded review of Street Outreach, released in October 2024, recommended expanding the program to include longer operating hours, more outreach activities, case management and foot patrols.

City councillors decided late last year to allocate another $260,780 in federal homelessness funding to enhance the program.

The Yellowknife Women’s Society had previously asked for more funding to expand the program, while the city has long called on the territorial government to invest in Street Outreach.