Photo by Whitehorse Star
Ruth Massie
Initial homeless count results released
Ruth Massie, the Council of Yukon First Nations’ (CYFN’s) grand chief, is describing the initial findings of a Point-in-Time homeless count in the city as “key to creating a course of action to end homelessness.”
Ruth Massie, the Council of Yukon First Nations’ (CYFN’s) grand chief, is describing the initial findings of a Point-in-Time homeless count in the city as “key to creating a course of action to end homelessness.”
The PiT count was done over a 24-hour period between April 13 and 14.
It found there were 44 people living in absolute homelessness (described as living on the streets or in places not intended for human habitation).
Thirty-three were staying in overnight shelters, and 42 in temporary accommodations or places that lack secure tenure.
Another 137 were deemed to be at-risk of being homeless, as their current housing is “precarious or does not meet public health and safety standards.”
The PiT count was funded by the federal government with the CYFN, the Yukon Planning Group on Homelessness and local volunteers conducting the count to get a “snapshot in time” to help determine the extent of homelessness in Whitehorse.
Similar counts were done in other cities across the country as well.
The volunteers on the count spent the day around the city interviewing people about their living situations to get the count, concluding the day with a community barbecue.
“The number of homeless individuals in Whitehorse is of great concern,” Massie said, also pointing to the urgency of the issue.
As Bill Thomas, who chairs the planning group on homelessness said: “We now know homelessness exists in our community.
“The figures confirm that the situation is both urgent and unacceptable.
“We need to gather all available resources for the challenge of ending homelessness. People are waiting. Now is the time for action.”
Jean-Yves Duclose, the federal minister of Families, Children and Social Development, said the count will serve as a tool in better assisting the homeless.
“The count results will provide us and communities, like Whitehorse, with strong evidence to better identify the needs of homeless individuals, and improve their lives by providing them with tailored supports,” he said.
The data from the count will be further analyzed to help identify gaps that are keeping people from obtaining secure, sustainable housing.
The more detailed results from the count are expected to be released later in the summer.
Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar
In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.
Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.
Comments (14)
Up 0 Down 0
The richshould share! on Jun 16, 2016 at 6:35 pm
I know many people in the band/s who have travelled many places and times over the years paid for by the band. Why couldn't they have taken that money and helped their own with housing and their addictions instead of spending it on silly trips for their family? isnt it their family that's on the streets?
Up 2 Down 2
Chaofeng Zhang on Jun 16, 2016 at 4:08 pm
Each homeless person has a different scenario, they should not be lumped together for statistics purposes. There are people who may have lost their jobs & are having a hard time, people who are addicted & don't really care where they stay as long as they get their fixes (alc./drugs/pills), there are young people who run away from home for various reasons; abuse, parents too strict and so on. There are many reasons for homelessness and again each case has to be dealt with individually. Yes we need more social housing but we also need economic development to support any social housing. First Nations are not all at fault nor are other governments. We as individuals have to elect the right people as leaders. People who will seriously look at the economy of the Yukon and work hard to create more employment so we can provide more social housing for our needy citizens, no matter who they may be.
Up 16 Down 1
Wake up on Jun 15, 2016 at 10:42 am
All these studies and counts and nothing is ever done about the homeless problem.
Up 14 Down 8
Just Say'in on Jun 14, 2016 at 7:28 pm
Why don't the First Nations step up and provide housing and look after their own people? As they claim to be sovereign nations. Then look after your people.
Up 17 Down 5
Josey Wales on Jun 13, 2016 at 8:12 am
Gee...how very timely. There are at last "contract" oops I mean count there are 44 folks homeless with FN's being very, very well represented.
So what initiative does move forward?
Getting funding to build three art studios?
Yeah, I cannot see why there is an issue.
We should rebrand this place with a Disney theme, as we sure seem to live in some fantasy land full of staffers to keep the delusion real and reality buried deep, deep.
Up 7 Down 5
Some people in this count like living out doors with nature on Jun 12, 2016 at 3:57 pm
Talk to some of these people and they wIll tell you so.
Also a lot have mental issues and need more than shelter. We need a health center that includes shelter.
A lot of these people will go back to the streets because that what they like and know.
Having read and watched homeless issues, same as Ontario, Vancouver etc.
We need a properly build shelters for homeless.
I have been traveling and seen what others are doing.
Families in a lot of areas are starting to look after family's like our history has shown.
Up 14 Down 30
Ban the trolls on Jun 12, 2016 at 1:20 pm
Some of the comments on here from jc, etal are truly ignorant. First off you better go downtown and walk around a bit (instead of plinking away on a keyboard under some rock), homelessness comes in all colors. I agree the majority are native. Before the new comers, there were very few, if any, homeless First Nation people. This is not the bands, first nations, CYFN's problem, this is Canada's problem, they created it.
Up 10 Down 5
Arturs on Jun 11, 2016 at 7:34 pm
I do agree that if your going to tackle a problem you should know how many for big #1. This should not be an eureka moment for these leaders but a rather obvious course of action.
Up 35 Down 7
north_of_60 on Jun 11, 2016 at 3:46 pm
I agree with @jc. I too have been here for 40+ years and it appears to be the same perennial group of homeless people now as was then. The government has poured millions into this social sinkhole with no indication of any positive change. The problem isn't lack of money, it's how much resource is sucked up by the vast social services bureaucracies on all four government levels in the Yukon. Giving the bureaucrats more money isn't going to solve the problem...ever.
The government bureaucracies have proven themselves inadequate/incapable of addressing the problem of predominately aboriginal homeless people.
This would be a good time for the new leadership of CYFN to take the initiative and take better care of ALL their people, not just the ones related to the clan in power.
The aboriginal people are the only ones who can solve the aboriginal homeless problem; the predominately 'white' colonial bureaucracy has only made it worse.
Up 37 Down 11
Progressive Priorities on Jun 11, 2016 at 11:56 am
44 people "absolutely homeless", or living on the streets. No doubt there are at least 44 so called 'advocates' saying this is an 'unacceptable' problem, so each one can invite a homeless person to come live with them and the problem is solved.
Whitehorse has much bigger problems to deal with, like keeping the Sustainability Department well funded and pushing the mega-million dollar plan for Curtis' Castle-on-the-Hill.
Up 42 Down 4
Joe on Jun 10, 2016 at 10:40 pm
Wow, same numbers as the survey the anti poverty coalition did 4 years ago. Let's do another survey just to make sure and, let's spend lots of government money doing another survey so we can get quality photo ops.
Up 42 Down 14
jc on Jun 10, 2016 at 9:57 pm
This may sound harsh and cruel, but if one refuses to work to support him/herself, chooses to drink and consume drugs at an early time in their life, then they deserve to be homeless. These people have to be retrained to take care of themselves and contribute to society. Just giving them free housing food and clothing - and money for their addictions all the time is not solving the problem but making it worse. Now is the time to start working on the younger ones so they won't end up like what we have today.
Personally, I'm getting tired of looking at those walking dead every day wandering/staggering back and forth from the 98, while holding up traffic crossing over on the cross walk. The FN has to take some responsibility for their own as well instead of always blaming government and asking for more money for researching the problems. This may be giving some a nice pay check but an unnecessary drain on the tax payers. I've been hearing this same song being played out over the last 40+ years I've been in the Yukon. STOP TALKING AND GET BUSY GETTING RID OF THE PROBLEM! You all know what the problem is and know how to fix it, now just do it.
Up 32 Down 9
drum on Jun 10, 2016 at 7:48 pm
I would laugh if this was not so, so, so sad
Where have these people been. We have had homeless people here for years and years - just ask the not for profit groups who feed and take care of them as best they can. Now I guess we will have to do a study and hire a consulting company at a great deal of cost to tell us yes we do have a problem - their suggestions could take a few years to come up with a report. In the meantime our marginal residents will just have to wait.
What is CYFN planning to do for their own people who are living on the streets???????
Up 28 Down 17
Lost in the Yukon on Jun 10, 2016 at 5:04 pm
YG has known this since 2010, this is not new information. The real story is that the Yukon Party has ignored this issue for the last six years ... but as a Director in Social Services once said ... The poor don't vote