Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Deputy Premier elaborate on the plan for the temporary on-the-land healing camp that EIA staff spoke of with the CBC earlier this week? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of EIA.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the encampment that took place in Yellowknife this summer, and continuing to now, there was an opportunity to engage directly with the community of individuals relying on that for sheltering, and it gave an opportunity for EIA to identify a cohort of folks who are looking for an opportunity to be in a more transitional type of shelter. And so it's with that in mind that -- and in a lot of discussions with the NGO community here who supports folks who are underhoused that they were able to identify an opportunity to use this facility that is outside of Yellowknife, for up to approximately 30 people, provide some limited programming out there. I do want to clarify it's not a healing camp in the way that we might sometimes think of it. It's a much shorter timeframe than that. But it will be offering some programming and be a facility that can at least be on the road towards a transitional type of opportunity for people. Thank you.
Thank you. In terms of the encampment and its residents, I want to note that NGOs really stepped up to the plate with possible solutions. So aside from this camp that the deputy Premier just spoke of, what, if any, rental options have been pursued with NGOs in absence of any secured federal dollars to date? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NGOs have been extremely valuable partners. Indeed, the camp that I mentioned earlier as a transitional opportunity wouldn't have arisen and wouldn't be possible without NGOs coming forward and making themselves and their skills available. So there's been a lot of discussions and a fairly exhaustive look at different options here in Yellowknife. It involved not only the NGO community and their facilities, at least one of which is able, with some additional funding, to expand their beds, but also looking at local developers, you know, hotels, large scale landlords, small scale landlords, all -- even territorial parks. So there's been a real comprehensive look at the different assets, but also a look at whether or not those assets would truly be appropriate and serve the needs from a person-centered approach for the people that are requiring supports and assistance in their housing right now. So with that said, it really was an opportunity to look at what's here, to try to be efficient with what's here, and to keep in mind that NGOs, while they're being at the table, can't be expected to step up without some more supports and investment in them. So without, you know, significant new dollars coming in, that was part of the discussion around what could be done with the camp and then also sort of a medium-term solution and longer term solution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I caught the words people-centered approach in that response, and that's really good to hear. I'll probably have more to speak about that in the days to come. But as the deputy Premier knows, the folks who are in the encampment do need wraparound services. And that is something that we are limited in our actions right now.
What preliminary actions, then, does EIA see as crucial to address the core need for effective transitional housing in Yellowknife, our regional centres, and small communities? Thanks, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is certainly not an easy one, and I want to acknowledge that from the get-go, that the efforts to deal with what became a crisis situation this summer interrupts the ability to plan for the future. And we're well aware that we need to get out of the cycle of responding to crisis in order to actually plan in a careful way to deliver the services we need.
Working towards a place where integrated case management which has become integrated service delivery can be expanded, expanded out of Yellowknife and, in fact, even expanded within Yellowknife, those will provide the opportunities to, again, be person-centered, to be delivering transitional housing in a way that responds to the needs of those who need it and to engage with communities so that when communities are being brought in to an expansion of integrated service delivery, it's with solutions that the communities are asking for and in a way that the communities are ready and with what they need rather than having supports or programs given to them that might not actually meet the needs of their underhoused population. So that focus on integrated service delivery and doing it in line with the ongoing community work, that's where this is starting from. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to Great Slave for your final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think the Minister has anticipated what I wanted to say next. So in the Homelessness Strategy, the goal of establishing functional zero of homelessness says that in less than two years that there will be goals set for each community to reduce homelessness. That was a year ago. That gives us one more year on the timetable. So what is the GNWT seeing right now that they want to take steps in the next three years left of this Assembly to help us reach functional zero? Thanks, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And it is similar in some ways to what I had just responded to, that functional zero for each community will be set by each community not for each community. In other words, it's identifying what population is able to find some form of appropriate housing appropriate to where they are at and meeting a person where they are which may mean that there's often going to remain some number of people within a community who are effectively without formal shelter or may be transitioning between shelter. But functional zero ensures that everyone has a place for where they're at in whatever their journey might be. But, again, that does have to happen with communities. So that engagement is -- I understand is underway, and I certainly can commit to providing a more detailed timeline -- I don't have that here, but a more detailed timeline to the extent that we have it and, again, just knowing that that may shift based upon the needs of communities. But we can certainly provide a more detailed timeline from our perspective, and I'll commit to getting that to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you. Next on my list is the Member from Yellowknife North.
