Yellowknife looking to double funding for day shelter

Yellowknife city council wants to double the amount of money it provides for the operation of the day shelter.

The shelter is a place for homeless people, many with alcohol and drug addictions, to spend time during the day.

It has been operating as a pilot project for the last three years on a shoestring budget of $250,000 annuallythe city provides it with $25,000 ayear, while the territorial government and mining companies provide the rest. The pilot project is scheduled to end March 31.

City Councillor Dan Wong said the value of the shelter was obvious during a four-week closure over the summer.

"The people in the librarythey knew exactly when the doors closed for renovations and when they opened again, because all of a sudden they were phoning the RCMP, and so was Bellanca [building], [and] so, of course, did the RCMP and so did Stanton emergency," said Wong.

The Bellanca building is located across the street from the day shelter.

The territorial government is responsible for funding shelters, but Wong said council needs to show its support.

Councillor Niels Konge disagreedhe said he wants the shelter shut down.

"The people that live on that street, they don't have a lot of good things to say about all the people who congregate there. We're trying to revitalize the downtown. That building is an eyesore."

In the end, a majority of councillors agreed with Wong and voted to double the shelters funding to $50,000 next year.

However, the new funding is not set in stonethe city will only double the funding if the territorial government also increases its funding to the shelter.