Three Whitehorse-based youth organizations will see their funding doubled, Premier Dennis Fentie announced this morning in the foyer of the Yukon government's administration building.

Benefactors are the Youth of Today Society, the Boys and Girls Club of Whitehorse and Bringing Youth Towards Equality, each of which will see their annual funding doubled to $220,000.

Fentie said the new funding increases will be committed for three years to provide predictable funding.

The territory's 2010-11 fiscal year budget is expected to tabled after the legislative assembly reconvenes Thursday afternoon; however, the premier described today's announcement as business as usual.

"You call them pre-budget announcements, the government views them as announcements that are on an ongoing basis addressing the issues of today's Yukon,” said Fentie.

For the Youth of Today Society and the Boys and Girls Club, the increased funding comes at a critical time. Both have been struggling to make ends meet; most recently the Boys and Girls Club threatened to close its doors at the end of last year due to looming bankruptcy.

Following Fentie's brief morning press conference, board member Desirée Pinkerton indicated the Boys and Girls Club will resume its full-time schedule that had been pared back to cut costs.

"This will allow us to open five days a week,” she said.

In addition to providing at-risk youth a safe place to congregate, the Boys and Girls Club offers nutritious meals and counselling.

Vicki Durrant, director of the Youth of Today Society, also welcomed the new money, but said there is much work remaining before its goal of opening a permanent shelter for young adults can be realized.

"We've got a lot of mixed emotions here; you know, we've had three youth in the last 12 years that have died ... so now we can focus on life and going forward and not worry so much about not having to close the centre,” said Durrant.

Two years ago, the Yukon government balked at supporting the Youth of Today Society's funding proposal for a permanent shelter in the territory's capital.

In the interim, the society went ahead and purchased a former downtown youth hostel, and Durrant said her organization continues to pursue operating cash from first nations.

Rachel Parks, executive director with Bringing Youth Towards Equality, said she was "thrilled' with the new funding because "demand for (the NGO's) services had quadrupled.”

It organizes events and projects for young people around the territory, including youth conferences, battle of the bands and various workshops geared to bullying, sexuality and

climate change.

In the fall of 2009, all three groups approached the government requesting that their annual $110,000 core funding be doubled.

Fentie said the increases to the annual core funding for the three NGOs was based on a needs-assessment provided by each organization and called it a coincidence that the funding had simply doubled for each.