Summary

Like many communities in Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, is experiencing a housing crisis. Hundreds of people are on the waitlist for social housing, while the emergency shelters often operate at full capacity with limited options for youth, women and families. The Safe at Home Society wants to convert two hotels into a total of 117 units of affordable housing for those at risk of homelessness. According to the 2018 “point in time” count, at least 195 people experienced homelessness, 82% of whom identify themselves as Indigenous. This would take a significant bite out of homelessness in the area and ease the burden on the emergency shelters. The Centre has awarded $45,000 as seed funding to support the drafting of the Rapid Housing Initiative applications for two projects. An exciting prospect is Safe At Home’s partnership with Northern Vision Development LP. To date, there have been no supportive housing projects in Yukon developed in partnership between a non-profit organization and the business sector, as most have relied heavily or exclusively on territorial government funding and involvement. This partnership is an innovative approach to developing new low-income supportive housing.