Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The emergency warming shelter in Inuvik is vital to our home residents. You know, in my opinion, it saved many lives over the years. This government has put millions into COVID restrictions to save lives. When are we going to do that, the same for addictions and homelessness?
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister, in Inuvik, is her department continuing to help to ensure that the homeless in Inuvik are being looked after, if there's things for them in place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Homelessness.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This was brought to my attention in the spring I mean, in the I want to say March February or March that the Inuvik warming shelter, we were experiencing some inhouse challenges, I guess, with the management and with the board. The housing corporation did come into the community to try to alleviate that. The housing corporation did hire a manager to work with the board members in trying to alleviate the conflict that was happening amongst the board and looking at the status of the Inuvik warming shelter.
I'm committed as a Minister to visit that again as well, and, you know, I do understand that, you know, homelessness is a huge issue in our territory. But looking at where we actually do stand, if we do have an active NGO that is able to come and work with us as a corporation and carry out the responsibility, I will have to follow up with the Member on the current status. But as we speak right now, that there is still conflicts amongst that NGO. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This challenge isn't from March or February. This challenge has been ongoing. I raised it in the fall session. They've been struggling. This is volunteer board of caring people that just keep trying to keep this open. Will the Minister can she commit that this manager or person is somebody who's in Inuvik and maybe where all of our shelters are to have somebody directly working in that community from her department in the community of Inuvik to ensure that this board has support. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, like, you know, as a Minister and as a department, like, we're willing to work with the community. But the last information that I did receive, that there was a decision that was made by the board to temporarily close the homelessness shelter. And the housing corporation does fund the Inuvik warming shelter $264,000 annually. But we're looking at the overnight operations and the conflict that is happening there. I will reach out to the manager that we do have there and see I want to get a further update on what has the progression been since we have stepped in and tried to work with the nonprofit organization and trying to offer them further supports. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When you live in a small community, when we live outside of Yellowknife, there's not a lot of people that can do the job as ED. The job is a difficult job in the homeless shelter, and if the person is qualified to do it, a government job comes up, they're gone. This is a position that is vital for ensuring funding is coming in, ensuring that staffing is being taken of.
This manager position, you know, this is where these kind of positions should be put in. We should start looking at this homelessness strategy and having a good plan to have if we have to start running it as a government. Will the Minister continue to make sure that this person is on the ground so that this volunteer board, if we even have a board left, will be there and be supported. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, the manager was created because there was conflict in Inuvik with the warming shelter and looking at the financial situation that they were getting themselves into, I guess, that the purpose of this position that was created was to try to work with the board to alleviate those challenges.
But we will be working well, we will be working with the community as well, because we did end up working with the Indigenous groups in the community. But it's really difficult, and it's challenging when we have NGOs that are facing these difficult situations and trying to alleviate them. But also we are there to support them as well too. So we could come together and look at the Inuvik warming shelter and reestablish the board members and also staff as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my final supplementary, I just want to know will the Minister commit to making sure that there's something in place for our homeless in Inuvik right now so that they have a place to wash, so they have a place to use the washroom, where they can try and get a meal. Like, we need to have something for our homeless right now. With this board, we don't even know if they're meeting right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the housing corporation is in full support. But we don't have the established board members that are there. We had issues with the staff as well. So, you know, we do fund this program annually. So if we have shut the doors and we are looking at challenges like that and looking at further training and the support of this manager to help the Inuvik warming shelter to get back and working again, that, you know, the position is housed in Inuvik. So I will follow up with the position to see where we are at with the board of directors, where are we at with staff, have they come to a conclusion. We need to start working with the homelessness. But we can provide the budget that is there for the homelessness, but we need people to run the programming. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
