New rule restricting clients at Yellowknife day shelter put on hold until December

Late Friday afternoon, the two agencies responsible for the Yellowknife joint day and sobering centre put its new policy on hold — one that was introduced Friday morning that saw some people turned away from shelter doors.

The new rule stated that anyone with a home or shelter elsewhere would no longer be allowed to access the downtown day centre. According to the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA), one of the agencies in charge of the facility, the change in policy was to protect the day centre's core mandate: to provide services for the homeless.

"In discussion with our partners, the NTHSSA and the NWT Disabilities Council have agreed [to] pause policy implementation and to set a meeting with all partners before the end of next week to discuss the implementation of this new policy," stated NTHSSA spokesperson David Maguire in an email. Maguire said the new implementation target date is Dec. 2.

In a separate news release, the NWT Disabilities Council stated it was breaking its self-imposed media silence on the policy change "after witnessing incorrect information regarding this policy change."

There was no opportunity; the only thing I could access was these services.- Michael Fatt, formerly homeless

The disabilities council said the policy change was required to "reaffirm the original purpose of the day centre as a resource specifically for homeless adults in Yellowknife."

The organization goes on to state in the news release that other "service providers" in the city may not have been ready for the change.

"We will delay these changes in order to give agencies time to develop and implement the services we believed to have been in place."

Man turned away early Friday

Earlier in the day a man from Nunavut was turned away at the door of the day centre.

He started crying.

"I don't like it, but I can't fight them," the man said. He was turned away because he had a place to stay. He said he was going to go up the street and get a beer.

Community advocates had gathered across the street Friday morning. They recently learned that people seeking food, respite from the cold, and other services are being told they can't come into the day centre if they have any form of housing, anywhere else.

An email obtained by CBC sent by NWT Disabilities Council — which runs the centre — says the changes were informed by a "recent report," and that they would come into effect on Nov. 1.

"Due to the high demand of our services and limited resources, the day centre is only able to provide support to those currently experiencing homelessness," reads a notice attached to an email from Denise McKee, executive director of the council.

All of a sudden these folks have have no access to the services that they rely on.- Bree Denning, Yellowknife Womens Society

This new rule does not apply to clients who want to access the sobering centre, housed in the same location, overnight, according to the disabilities council. The disabilities council did not respond to CBC's repeated requests for an interview.

The day centre provides a warm space for people to rest and sober up during the day, while other shelters in the city are closed. It has food, washrooms, showers and laundry as well as caseworkers and medical services.

The council says a person with housing is anyone housed through a transitional housing or housing first program, or people with housing in another community.

Michael Fatt has experienced homelessness and now employs people who are homeless or living with addictions. 

When he was on the street, "there was no opportunity; the only thing I could access was these services," said Fatt.

"If they have programming and they're isolating it to just the homeless, I don't think that's a positive thing." 

'Quite concerned,' says advocate

Bree Denning, executive director of the Yellowknife Womens Society, said she was "quite concerned" about restrictions on who can access the day centre.

Denning learned of the new rule less than 48 hours before the changes came into effect, through an email.

"Cutting off individuals because they're housed means that we have a lot of vulnerable individuals who suddenly don't have access to help with food security, to harm reduction ... to the washroom, showers, laundry," said Denning.

"All of a sudden these folks have have no access to the services that they rely on."

Denning said people who use the day centre may choose not to go home for a number of reasons. They might be worried about bringing friends home and causing noise complaints. They may have friends or family that don't allow them to come home while intoxicated. 

It's hitting people really hard- Lydia Bardak, Street outreach worker

On the flip side, said Denning, there may be people who have housing but use the day centre to get away from friends or family who are intoxicated at home, because they're afraid of violence.

"The day shelter has served as a valuable harm reduction tool for … folks to have a place to go where they can find their community, where they can be safe, and where they can access a warm place," she said.

The changes would have also made it harder for social service workers who use the day centre to find their clients ahead of appointments and court dates, said Denning.

Outreach worker barred from entry

Street outreach worker Lydia Bardak has been going to city shelters twice a week for 15 years. 

But earlier Friday, staff stood at the windowed entrance of the day centre and told her she was not allowed to enter.

Bardak said she is concerned for members of the community that are housed but still use shelter services. 

"It's hitting people really hard," Bardak told CBC. "It's very much a community here."

Bardak said the restriction to access services is "the total opposite of harm reduction."