Yellowknife City Council held their regular Governance and Priorities meeting on March 13 to continue their discussion regarding the reallocation of remaining Reaching Home 2022-23 funding.
The City of Yellowknife has just over $1.4 million leftover from last year’s fund.
Last February, Council approved the recommendation from the City’s Community Advisory Board on homelessness to transition $1.3 million to Housing NWT to transition Aspen Apartments into non-market housing.
Housing NWT reviewed the Transitional Housing for Addictions Recovery Program (THARP) requirements with the Department of Health and Social Services and determined that a mixed-occupancy model for the Aspen Apartments including transitional housing for addiction-recovering clients and general public housing was an unsuitable use of resources.
After confirming to the City that it had enough funding from alternate sources to be able to renovate Aspen Apartments, Housing NWT proposed today that $1.3 million of the pool be used to support the GNWT’s implementation of the THARP program in Yellowknife.
The proposed $1.3 million would include a retrofitting of an existing six-plex or a new six-bedroom facility with living spaces to support the THARP program.
This funding continues the City’s 10-year plan to end homelessness and council says they are remaining focused on bringing in partners to continue their efforts.
