Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was delighted to hear in the opening address that the government wants to create solutions to address homelessness, so my questions today are for the Minister responsible for Homelessness. Does the Minister support Housing First as a solution to chronic homelessness in Yellowknife?
Masi, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Minister responsible for Addressing Homelessness.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I do look at Housing First as a viable model for addressing homelessness. However, it is one model and one area. Even with Housing First, there will still be other avenues that we need to seek to alleviate homelessness altogether.
My question for the Minister responsible for Homelessness is whether the government is prepared to match the federal contribution of $306,000 annually to Housing First in Yellowknife.
As the Minister of Finance spoke, we are still in the middle of looking at the budget allocations. We do know that the federal government is looking at social infrastructure as a priority. Until that federal budget is allocated, we're expecting at the end of the March, we won't know exactly what we'll be looking at putting on the table.
My final question for the Minister is whether the government is prepared to increase the level of clinical support available to people whose mental health and addictions have made them homeless? That's the staff to go with the housing piece.
As most Members know, I'm assuming, is that homelessness is not just one department. Housing is not the only department. The whole GNWT has different aspects of homelessness, so at the current time the GNWT is looking internally. We'll be working with the departments and with the Standing Committee on Social Development, which I met with the chair yesterday and asked to get a meeting immediately, as soon as your committee is formed, so that we can all work together in addressing homelessness and looking at what the wraparound services would look like.
Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
