Fort Simpson warming shelter to stay open and operating out of former Unity building

Fort Simpson's warming shelter will remain open after the village council voted unanimously Friday to approve a rental increase on the space the shelter uses.

Councillors made the decision during an emergency meeting that came days after council originally rejected an application for a rent increase and retroactive payments made by Muaz Hassan and Raj Hundal, the owners of the building which houses the shelter.

The day after council members denied the initial request for a rent increase, Hassan posted an eviction notice on Facebook.

Hassan is one of the eight village councillors, but he recused himself from discussion and voting on the matter.

The shelter has been operating out of the former Unity building since December 2020. According to Hundal, the building costs well above $5,000 a month to heat and maintain. The village had been paying $3,200 per month, leaving Hassan and Hundal to cover the overages out of their own pocket or through donations.

Village council will now pay $6,000 in rent per month, retroactive to October 2021. This will be covered by $40,000 left over from last year's budget, which the NWT Housing Corporation gave the council permission to roll over.

"I appreciate all these counsellors' efforts for understanding this situation," Hassan said after the vote on Friday afternoon. "Usually when there is … limited information, people have different opinions about things and hopefully that cleared the [air]".

On Thursday, Fort Simpson mayor Sean Whelly told CBC he had seen the shelter's bills and said it was an unfortunate misunderstanding that the facility was underfunded.

"[Hassan] has put so much of his own money into this … I wish we could get the right funding to properly pay for the building so we don't have issues going forward," said Whelly. "Whether it's that building or some other building … we have to pay the rent." 

Whelly also commended Hassan for covering the operational costs of the warming shelter for the month of September 2021. During this time, council put out a tender to find a new building. When no bids were received, Village Council approached Hassan again.

Shelter's impact on community

Rosa Wright, who manages day-to-day operations at the warming centre, said the shelter has been a positive and helpful space for many clients. She said one of the shelter clients has been sober for over a month, and she is currently trying to make arrangements for them to enter a treatment centre.

And Wright is dedicated. When COVID-19 hit the shelter, she made the decision to shut the doors and stay with the clients, running the programs on her own for ten days.

"Well, I couldn't ask these guys to leave the place, the guy I was helping to sober up was really emotional …so I stayed and I worked with them," Wright said. "Building them up from the inside through the heart, not their brain." 

Whelly said the shelter has had a positive impact on the village as a whole.

"We're seeing increased use of the shelter … we noticed there are way less problems spilling out into the rest of the community as a result of having a good place for people to go," he said. 

Whelly also said the police are noticing a difference with the addition of the shelter. They are getting fewer phone calls about unwanted guests looking for a place to sleep for the night.

He attributes this positive change to the daytime programming the shelter offers, which has been helping clients with substance abuse and mental health issues.