Facilities for Yellowknife's underhoused struggle through cold snap

The executive director of the Salvation Army in Yellowknife says staff are so far "winning the battle" against freezing pipes at the downtown emergency shelter, although the ongoing frigid temperatures have made it a challenge. 

"Right now we have some pipes that are freezing. We're doing everything we can with contractors here in town and bringing in portable heaters to try and stop it from getting any worse," said Tony Brushett.

During another cold snap in 2021, the pipes burst at the facility leading to a weeks-long evacuation and $4 million repair. 

Brushett said they're hopeful it won't reach that point again as the weather is expected to warm up to around –20 C by the middle of next week.

But if the worst case happens, Brushett said the Salvation Army has a plan A, B and C for how to ensure everyone is housed.

Brushett said the 31-bed shelter is always operating over capacity, often accommodating around 45 to 50 clients. And with the other housing programs it offers, it means there are usually around 100 clients spending the night in the building. 

"We certainly don't want to have to figure out what to do with the roughly 100 people who sleep here every night. We will, if it happens, make sure they have somewhere to sleep," Brushett said.  

Street Outreach van out of service on Friday

Brushett says the shelter doesn't have its own transportation service and often relies on the Yellowknife Street Outreach van to ensure clients make it to where they need to in the afternoon and evenings. 

However, that's not an option right now — on Friday, Street Outreach announced it wouldn't be able to operate.

Street Outreach recently acquired a new van but it's been in the shop awaiting a part, said Renee Sanderson, the executive director of the Yellowknife Women's Society which runs the program. She said the company that manufactures the part for the van was previously on strike and now they have a backlog. 

In the meantime, Street Outreach has been relying on an older van. 

"An older van is not suitable for the services that we're using it for and we don't want to put more money into fixing it because it's not going to last very long," Sanderson said. 

"This really highlights the need for having a vehicle that is used for the type of services that we do provide." 

Sanderson said that the shelters and RCMP are aware and she encourages anyone who sees someone in distress to call the RCMP.

She said the situation highlights the need for more services and locations that people in need can access.

Sobering centre at capacity

On Thursday, signs were on the doors of the Yellowknife Sobering Centre stating it was at capacity. 

David Maguire, a spokesperson for the N.W.T. Health and Social Services Authority which operates the centre, said in an email that the facility normally has capacity of 27 clients, but will accept as many as 45 if the demand increases, especially in cold weather.

He said when the facility is at capacity, staff will contact the shelters to determine if there are other accommodations available, and may arrange transport if needed — or, they'll try to find private accommodations.  

There are also some people who choose not to rely on the shelters.

Sanderson, the executive director of the Yellowknife Women's Society, encouraged residents to offer help to any under-housed people they see on the streets during the cold weather. 

"If you see someone out on the street, please stop and assist them," she said.