Federal government and Northwest Territories sign agreement to address unsheltered homelessness

Press Release

From: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, December 12, 2024 — Today, Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories, and R.J. Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories, announced an agreement to support those facing unsheltered homelessness in Yellowknife.

This partnership will help alleviate capacity challenges identified by local shelter operators, while addressing encampments and helping find homes for people sleeping in tents through a human rights-based and housing first approach.

The funding provided for this agreement is part of the federal government’s $250-million commitment that was outlined in Budget 2024 to address the urgent issue of encampments and unsheltered homelessness across Canada. The Government of the Northwest Territories will match the federal funding of $1,000,000 over two years.

In the short term, the Northwest Territories will provide additional shelter spaces to ensure that those in need have a safe and warm space during the winter months. In the medium to long-term, they will work on increasing transitional and supportive housing options for individuals at risk of homelessness and/or exiting homelessness across the territory.

This agreement builds on existing programs like Reaching Home, through which the federal government is investing $5 billion over nine years to address homelessness.

Canada’s housing crisis cannot be resolved by any single order of government, service provider, or home builder acting alone. To effectively address encampments and unsheltered homelessness in our communities, collaboration is essential. This partnership between the federal and territorial governments marks meaningful progress in the work to end unsheltered homelessness in Yellowknife and ensure that everyone there has a safe place to call home.

Quotes

“Our government is dedicated to ending homelessness by supporting our most vulnerable citizens in finding safe, affordable homes. As public spaces become sanctuaries for too many, it’s crucial we unite to create meaningful change. With strategic investments and partnerships, we will enhance support services and work tirelessly to eliminate chronic homelessness across Canada.”

Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“This agreement with the federal government provides not only immediate shelter but also essential support services that can help individuals work towards stability and independence. Our government is committed to ensuring that individuals have a place to call home and essential support for healing. Tackling homelessness requires collaboration, and this partnership marks meaningful progress in that effort.”

Premier R.J. Simpson, Northwest Territories

Quick facts

This funding complements federal investments made through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, which provides funding and support to urban, Indigenous, territorial and rural, and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.
In the Northwest Territories, a total of approximately $34.9 million from 2019-20 to 2027-28 is allocated through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, before factoring in additional allocations from Budget 2024.
- The City of Yellowknife is the Community Entity responsible for administering Reaching Home’s Territorial Homelessness stream funding in Yellowknife (approx. $21 million) from 2019-20 to 2027-28.
- Outside of the capital, Territorial Homelessness funding (approx. $3.4 million) is administered by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) through a shared delivery model that funds individual projects that will be allocated from 2019-20 to 2027-28. Reaching Home officials collaborate closely with the Government of Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to help identify projects.
- Reaching Home also provides distinctions-based funding (approx. $10.5 million) available from 2019-20 to 2027-28 for First Nations and Modern Treaty Holders in the Northwest Territories to advance cultural appropriate homelessness programming that responds to the specific needs of individuals at-risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Since 2015, the federal government has helped almost two million Canadians find a place to call home.
The Northwest Territories, through the A Way Home strategy, is working to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring, recognizing housing as a right and ensuring that all individuals have access to the appropriate supports to be housed successfully.
A Way Home aims to increase transitional and supportive housing across the territory to begin to address the gaps in the northern housing continuum.
The Strategy outlines a whole of government approach with a focus on service integration, building strong community partnerships, and ensuring programs and policies work to prevent homelessness rather than only respond to it.
Part of the funding from this agreement was used for the On-the-Land Camp initiative. The initiative provides shelter for up to 30 people in an abstinence-based environment.