The Tree of Peace Friendship Centre will be the home of the men’s overnight shelter for the next three to five days.
That’s according to a spokesperson from the NWT Housing Corporation, who said officials from the GNWT are meeting with staff from the centre to discuss lease terms.
The lease terms have to account for the “normal evening lease rate, compensation for cancelled events, lost wages for staff that would have been required to work events that were cancelled,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.
The Tree of Peace Friendship Centre was made the temporary location of the overnight shelter by Housing Minister Paulie Chinna, using the Emergency Measures Act, in order to “alleviate the emergency” posed by the Salvation Army closing.
The act was initially invoked to make the old Mine Resources Building, formerly the location of the SideDoor shelter, the location of the temporary day shelter.
The move was made because the Salvation Army was forced to close Sunday because of a burst pipe.
The overnight men’s shelter was moved to several locations last week as the GNWT scrambled to find a temporary home for the shelter.
The Tree of Peace Friendship Centre is located on 51st Street, and is usually a non-profit that runs programs for Indigenous people in the city.
An NWT Housing Corporation spokesperson said the centre will be needed for 3-5 more days.
Shelter residents were initially notified about the change “by word of mouth by Salvation Army staff” and by notices on the doors of the Mine Training Society Building.
The Salvation Army posted on Facebook last week, saying that external contractors continue to work on the cleanup process at the Resource Centre building.
“Water damage has been noted on all 4 floors and will require some time to get back in order,” they wrote in a statement.
