Yellowknife needs more supports for women, says cab driver living in tent
'It's not right that women have to choose between working and having a place to stay'
A cab driver in Yellowknife who's living in a tent says the city doesn't have enough public housing for women trying to rebuild their lives.
Jacqueline lost her apartment when an abusive relationship put her in hospital. Now she says she's hiding from her ex-boyfriend and doesn't want her mother to find out how difficult her life has become. CBC agreed not to use her last name.
"I lost my home and everything because of the assault," she says.
Jacqueline says she can't afford rent by herself and transitional housing has turned her away.
The only bed that's available to her is at a women's emergency shelter downtown. But there's a catch: she's not allowed to sleep there during the day, and she won't give up her night shift driving cabs.
"It's not right that women have to choose between working and having a place to stay in Yellowknife,"Jacqueline says. "If it wasn't for my job, what would I have?"
The Centre for Northern Families, which runs the shelter, says there's simply not enough funding to keep it open during the day. Instead, women have to leave and the space turns into a daycare.
"We have to provide family programs as well so we can pay the rent," says Caroline Johnson, the centre's chief executive officer.
"Our funding is for just emergency, which is defined usually as a two to three day stay. The reality is that the majority of women that live in our shelter have been here for over 10 years," Johnson says.
Frustration mounts
Jacqueline has also contacted Lynn's Place, a transitional home for women in Yellowknife that has six beds for single women, but the facility is full and the waiting list is 33 names long.
Women can stay at Lynn's Place for up to three years. Its director of housing wasn't able to provide a timeline on when Jacqueline may be able to get a room, or where she should go next. Jacqueline says she's beyond frustrated.
"Why don't I just give up the car and go live at the women's [emergency] shelter," she says. "I can go live there for five, 10 years, 15 years like some of those ladies have and are."
Jacqueline says she's not looking for a handout, just a safe place to sleep.
Despite her frustration, she's hopeful the cab business will pick up as temperatures drop, and she'll make enough money to move into an apartment before winter arrives.