The Yukon has the largest gap between the rich and the poor in all of Canada, according to Ross Findlater, co-chair of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition.

This morning, at a press conference near the Robert Service Campground to launch Poverty and Homelessness Action Week, Findlater called the latest statistics that indicate the territory has the largest gap between the wealthiest 20 per cent and the poorest 20 per cent of the population a "real concern”.

"It's dubious honour,” he said, sarcastically.

Findlater was joined by coalition co-ordinator Kristina Craig, co-chair Reanna Sutton and the special week's co-ordinator, Tracey Wallace, to provide a snapshot of what poverty looks like in Whitehorse today.

The group said its goal is to raise awareness about poverty in the city and start reducing economic disparity.

Craig explained that the Whitehorse Food Bank, which opened in 2009, is now serving three times the number of people it had originally planned for.

According to 2006 statistics, one in eight families has less than $30,000 a year to live on.

"We know that there's over 100 people homeless in Whitehorse,” said Craig. "We know that this past spring, the Salvation Army doubles its capacity for shelter beds, and it is still full 99 per cent of the time.”

However, she continued, there are a lot of numbers they don't know.

Sutton explained the coalition doesn't know how many people are "precariously housed” — Yukoners living paycheque to paycheque and putting up with things like mold or inadequate plumbing or heating in their units.

They also don't know how many people are living in dangerous situations or skipping out on food to pay for rent.

"We don't even have a poverty line for the North,” she said.

Findlater explained he thinks it's imperative the government study what the cost of homelessness is on the health care system, but its first action must be to house the homeless.

"We've been identifying for several years now a huge crisis in Whitehorse, and it's not going away,” he said.

Findlater is particularly interested in the government's plan to house those few residents still living in tent city on the legislature's lawn.

"It's quite nippy this morning,” he said. "Can you imagine waking up in a tent and knowing you would be doing that for the next weeks or months? It's something they've got to act on very promptly.”

During the election campaign, the Yukon Party promised to build a youth shelter in Whitehorse and expand the capacity at the Salvation Army, which means renovating the existing building or constructing a new facility entirely.

Poverty and Homelessness Action Week features five days of events.

At 2:30 this afternoon, the Blood Ties Four Directions Centre began hosting a "tiny house” open house at its offices to demonstrate the possibilities of building affordable, adequate housing that takes up a very small space.

A discussion on human rights, feminism and how we can work together for change will take place at Baked Café at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

On Wednesday, youth from Bring Youth Toward Equality will dedicate two radio shows on CJUC to human rights, poverty and homelessness.

Listen in from 4 p.m.to 5 p.m. for Can Yukon Show Canada How to Close the Income Gap?, a talk by Armine Yalnizyan, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. It will take place at the CYO Hall on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The week will close at noon Friday at the SS Klondike.

Community members are invited to come together, link hands and "close the gap” on poverty and homelessness.