'The trust has been broken': Staff, youth allege mismanagement at Yellowknife youth centre

Young people and current and former staff at SideDoor are alleging mistreatment and mismanagement at the Yellowknife youth shelter and drop-in centre. 

Staff say the executive director has created a toxic and unpredictable workplace environment, and young people say they have lost faith in the organization as a stabilizing force in their lives. In the last two weeks, they brought their complaints to the non-profit's board. 

They want an audit of the organization's finances and for the executive director to resign.

"The trust has been broken in more ways than one," said Kim Gagnon, a former employee who worked at SideDoor from September 2018 until November 2019, when she was let go, she said, a day after giving her three weeks notice.

"I just want to shed light to what's been going on so people are aware that their money may not have been going where they thought it was going when they donated."

SideDoor is a Christian non-profit that has operated in Yellowknife for 25 years. In addition to the drop-in centre, called the Resource Centre, SideDoor runs Hope's Haven, which offers transitional housing and emergency shelter for young people ages 15 to 19.

I am battling with depression and I'm not supposed to isolate myself.- Paeton Raine, Youth

CBC spoke to several young people and current and former staff who allege interference with how young people's government subsidies are spent, health and safety issues at SideDoor housing, questionable spending of the organization's money, and the absence of LGBTQ+ policies. 

On Tuesday, a SideDoor staff member told CBC that Iris Notley, SideDoor's executive director, had been put on paid leave until a third party completes an investigation. 

Resource Centre is a lifeline

Staff say there have been problems at SideDoor since at least the fall of 2018, but suggestions that all is not well at the non-profit reached the public last week, when a sign went up in the Resource Centre's window saying the building would be closed until further notice. 

Notley told CBC the Resource Centre was closed until March 17 because of a staff shortage, but current and former staff dispute this.

They say there are staff available to work this month, and they've been given no clear indication of when the Resource Centre will reopen. 

For Paeton Raine, the Resource Centre is more than just a warm place to hang out — it's a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

"I am battling with depression and I'm not supposed to isolate myself," said 21-year-old Raine. "Being able to know that I was able to go to SideDoor, even just for a couple hours, helped me a lot during my day, because I'm around people."

Raine has faced homelessness in the past and now lives in supported housing arranged by SideDoor. She said the non-profit has helped her with shelter, food and emotional support. 

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Talking about the Resource Centre brings tears to her eyes.

"Some of us don't know how to cook, so we depend on [the Resource Centre] for food, and it shouldn't be taken away," said Raine. The Resource Centre serves meals to young people up to age 25, many of whom are too old for Hope's Haven, SideDoor's youth shelter. 

For Raine, its closure is just one more thing that's gone wrong at SideDoor in the last three years.

Litany of allegations

Staff say the Resource Centre's sudden closure is a symptom of deeper problems with the way SideDoor is run, which they outlined in a 13-page letter to the organization's board.

Many of the allegations relate to the leadership style of the executive director Notley, who has held the position since 2014.

They say she makes rash decisions about who can access which SideDoor services, and about staff scheduling, among other accusations.

"We don't see how a SideDoor can survive with Iris there. The trust has been broken in more ways than one," said Gagnon, who helped draft the letter. 

Many of the staff complaints reflect those from a second letter from young people. That 10-page, Feb. 29 letter was also sent to the board.

Taken together, the letters tell a story of an organization that isn't meeting the needs of its vulnerable clients. 

We have been treated unfairly by this organization for many years, and we will no longer accept it.- Feb. 29 letter to the board from youth

"This is very serious. This is our lives," say the young people in their letter. They write that they have "serious concerns" for their well-being.

"We have been treated unfairly by this organization for many years, and we will no longer accept it."

Both the staff and youth letters offer recommendations for how SideDoor may be improved.

CBC has copies of the two letters, and while they are unsigned, CBC spoke to the authors to verify the letters' authenticity.

Some of the front-line workers who spoke to CBC asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation from their employer.

'You get scared'

SideDoor also helps young people with housing, but some young people say the building they have been placed in is poorly maintained. They've seen mould and leaky ceilings. They say their hard-partying neighbours make them feel uncomfortable.

"In the past two or three months it's gotten pretty rough," said Raine. "There has been people sleeping [in the] stairways or there's pee in the stairways or just unwanted people that don't live there."

Raine said she sometimes hears screaming, banging and arguing. "You get scared because of that, because you never know what's going to happen," she said.

Young people also said there have been instances in which SideDoor has interfered with government subsidies they get for groceries and furniture. 

Executive director uses organization's truck: allegations

The staff letter says a 2019 pickup truck was bought for SideDoor last October, but that the truck isn't marked with SideDoor's logo. 

The letter says the executive director regularly uses the truck to travel between work and her property at Prelude Territorial Park. Current and former staff say because of this, the truck is sometimes unavailable when young people need it for moving or grocery shopping.

I am not speaking to media about these allegations ... The board chair is the only one who will comment.- Iris Notely's emailed response

Young people also questioned the truck. 

"We are wondering why this money was not put into buying a van, which would have [been] much more useful for a youth-serving organization," they write in their letter. 

'I am not speaking to media': Notley

CBC sent Notley and the board lists of the allegations. In an email, Notley said, "I am not speaking to media about these allegations. I appreciate you have a story to write. The board chair is the only one who will comment." 

Kirk Tastad, co-chair of the SideDoor board, said in an email on Sunday that the board has "recently been made aware of some complaints that we are taking seriously and are actively looking into.

The health, safety and well-being of our clients and of our employees is paramount in how we deliver on our mandate to serve youth here in the North."

Tastad said the board would not speak to personnel matters.

Staff, youth don't want SideDoor shutdown

Current and former staff don't want to see SideDoor shut down — they want change. 

"SideDoor is a wonderful place and I don't want this to end up tearing SideDoor down, and I don't really want it to tear down Iris, too," said Gagnon, the former employee.

The young people want to feel secure and supported in the space that was intended for that purpose.

"A lot has happened and it's definitely been a journey," said Raine. "I shouldn't have to live my life in fear of whether I'm going to have a home, whether I'm going to have the supports I need."