Questions arose in the legislature last Thursday about the possibility of opening a "wet” shelter in Whitehorse.

Darius Elias, the interim leader of the Liberal party, noted that other jurisdictions have seen success with a wet shelter program. He inquired whether the government was considering the option in responding to Whitehorse's homelessness problem.

"Wet shelters do not require sobriety from people who stay there, and staff may provide small amounts of alcohol to residents to lower and balance out their alcohol consumption,” he said. "It is very difficult to get sober when people are living on the street.”

Health and Social Services Minister Doug Graham said the government isn't looking at a wet shelter at present, saying it would like to observe the experience with the shelters in other communities over a longer time period.

Graham did note that Whitehorse has what he termed a "damp shelter” at the Salvation Army. Here, people are admitted even if they are intoxicated, but not if they have any alcohol with them.

The government would also like to see the medical detoxification centre at the Sarah Steele Building up and running before further consideration is given to a wet shelter, said Graham.

He pointed to the government's investment of between $645,000 and $665,000 into the program.

Elias said studies and examples in other communities have demonstrated numerous benefits of wet shelters.

"For lifetime alcoholics, a wet shelter is their first step to getting well,” he said.

"There are fewer incidents with police, fewer trips to the emergency room and residents report a better quality of life and are more likely to receive immunizations and preventive health care.”

While Graham agreed that "anything that resolves those issues would be a plus,” he said there is also evidence from some American wet shelters that, in the long term, they are not always as effective as they appear in early stages.

Elias referenced the final report by the Task Force on Acutely Intoxicated Persons at Risk and its examination of Ottawa's wet/dry, or alcohol-free, shelter program.

"Night time shelter is the first step in what ultimately is the pinnacle of care and rehabilitation of the chronic alcoholic and/or long-term addict – supported housing,” the report says.

It goes on to discuss Ottawa's program, which consists of four shelters, one a women's shelter, "with increasing degrees of responsibility and control.”

People choose which shelter they want to use and can apply for supported or permanent housing no matter which shelter they are staying at. Preference for housing is given to those using "the higher responsibility shelter.”

"Demonstration of some degree of personal responsibility on the street is used to define who gets access to the limited resources of supported housing,” the report says.

"Equally, the shelter of higher responsibility is able to provide a greater amount of intervention, including access to medical, mental health and dental care, management of medication use and even social and spiritual therapies.”

The report also notes that all four shelters are within blocks of each other, within Ottawa's "skid row.”

For the Yukon, the report recommends that "a night time shelter, accessible to both the acutely intoxicated and those seeking a habour of safety and security, in co-location with or near to the sobering center/detox facility should be created.”