Home Base Yellowknife just announced that following a successful application to the city of Yellowknife, they are now operating the Street Outreach Program.
“It’ll be inclusive, so it’ll be for youth as well as adults,” said Tammy Roberts, who is the executive director of Home Base Yellowknife.
Home Base Yellowknife also announced a new phone number for anyone who would like support and information to call: (867) 446-7233 (SAFE).
Home Base YK’s outreach program is designed to help various needs, such as mental health, homelessness and addictions.
Home Base YK is known for its programming targeted specifically for youth in Yellowknife but now that’s changing to include adults. The expansion of services offered to adults only includes outreach program services, explained Roberts.
Beginning May 1 Home Base YK is taking over the Street Outreach program for the city, which offers assistance to people of all ages.
Roberts said Home Base YK will be working to ensure that people receive safe rides to safe spaces within the city.
“The hours will be 17 hours a day, seven days a week so from 10 a.m. until 3 a.m. each day. We’ll have a vehicle going around with two workers in it,” Roberts told True North FM.
Another exciting development that Home Base YK is excited about is the addition of two workers who will be downtown working to help people on the street for five hours a day.
“During the daytime when there’s most activity downtown, they’ll be there, offer support, advice, guidance, water, somebody to chat to. So we’re hoping that’s going to help with engagement in the community,” said Roberts.
As part of the changes, the organization is expanding its Line Drive outreach program, which offers safe transportation and a sobering centre to anyone over the age of 12.
“Sometimes people might not feel comfortable staying with somebody that’s in need of a safe ride. So this way our street people that are out walking can assist and call for a ride,” explained Roberts.
And there’s a lot more to the outreach program.
Home Base YK is also working closely with businesses and people downtown to help bring greater understanding to the community in the city about the challenges that people experiencing homelessness face, explained Roberts.
“To bridge the gap between our homeless population and general population, so that we have some more compassion and are able to direct them to more services. Our manager from that program will be reaching out, like I said to businesses but also to the RCMP so that we can help link people to all the different services that we have,” explained Roberts.
Home Base YK, the Salvation Army, Women’s Society YWCA, all offer support to different population groups experiencing homelessness.
“So we’re going to have to be doing a lot of connecting with the other groups in the community, in order to ensure that we’re giving people accurate information on where to get support.
For their Outreach program, Home Base YK is going to have a couple of outreach vehicles.
“We have our youth Outreach vehicle which is a white SUV that will be going around. It has our decals and whatnot on it but we’ll have a new vehicle that is getting deckled in the near future as well. So, the phone number for Any pickup of anybody that’s needing a safe ride is 867-446-7233. And we have that posted on our social media. We’re going to be taking around a lot of information to community, so that We make sure everybody has that number saved in their phone and they can call when they see somebody’s in distress,” said Roberts.
Youth in the city are facing multiple, compounded challenges said Roberts.
“Well, there’s so much when it comes to youth and even being a teenager, but experiencing trauma, whatever that looks like but also not having that one caring adult in your life to support you through being a teenager is challenging. Addictions are challenging with our youth and then of course, with all of that comes the challenge of having access to housing. So We look after the housing portion for youth and trying to support them, the best we can with all the other things that are are, causing them stress in their lives,” she said.
Roberts pointed out that the definition of homelessness is different for everyone.
“I do know, there are a lot of youth that couch surf, from place to place to place, and don’t realize that that actually means they’re homeless. And it might be okay to couch surf from spot to spot, but eventually you’re going to run out of spots and maybe not be in such a space that offers you the safety that you need. So, with the services that we have at Home Base, we do have a shelter that is safe for youth to come between the ages of 12 and 18. And then that’s a good place to get connected to other services. And then, we also have the Youth Centre that is open from noon to 8 P.M daily, where, any youth can go, that is needing support,” Roberts said.
“We want to be able to meet people where they’re at and ensure that,” she added.
Roberts said that Home Base YK is constantly looking for funding to expand services to provide the best support they can
