Yellowknife shelter operators say they are in "crisis" after struggling for months to meet the needs of a growing population of unhoused people. At the Yellowknife Salvation Army men's shelter, people have been sleeping in the narrow hallways for months, executive director Tony Brushett said. The shelter is set up with space for a maximum of 31 people, he explained, but over the past several months the shelter has been taking in an average of over 50 people each night.
The shelter recently capped the number at 45 people each night because of concerns about fire safety, but it's still extremely crowded. "Dignity is lost," Brushett said of the overcrowded conditions. Brushett said that the number of people accessing the shelter really began to go up when people returned to the city after last summer's wildfire evacuation.
"It seemed like there were new individuals that came up from down south," he said. Brushett also said that many people who used the shelter before the evacuation are now using it more. Brushett said that many people who used the shelter before the city's wildfire evacuation last year are now using it more.
(Sarah Krymalowski/CBC) The women's emergency shelter in Yellowknife has seen the same trend, according to Yellowknife Women's Society director Renee Sanderson. That shelter is meant to accommodate up to 10 people, she said. But since last year's evacuation it's been sheltering more, clearing room in the small kitchen for people to sleep.
In the winter, some.
