Angels’ Nest project ‘in catch-22’

The fate of a proposed emergency youth shelter for Whitehorse remains in limbo as the Yukon government (YTG) wants more information before committing $1.4 million for three years of operations funding.

The fate of a proposed emergency youth shelter for Whitehorse remains in limbo as the Yukon government (YTG) wants more information before committing $1.4 million for three years of operations funding.

On Thursday, Vicki Durrant, director of the Youth of Today Society (YOTS), the organization behind the project dubbed Angels’ Nest, received a letter from the Department of Health and Social Services outlining nine conditions to be met before it would further consider the proposal.

At the beginning of August, Durrant received confirmation from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) that it would provide a grant to purchase the Hide on Jeckell Hostel property. That money, however, was contingent on a three-year O&M funding commitment from YTG.

“These are a lot of conditions (and) we’ve been working with (YTG) since October 2007 so it’s not like they’re unaware there was a plan to put something into place,“ Durrant told the Star. “I’m still kind of in shock.“

The owners of the guest house had placed a Sept. 1 deadline for finalizing the sale, but extended that to Oct. 1 in light of the government’s latest solicitation.

As to what Durrant will do next, she said the process is turning into a catch-22.

“(The government) says, ‘you give us a letter from them and we’ll support it,‘ and CMHC is saying the same thing,“ Durrant said.

In a letter from the CMHC to YOTS dated July 29, the federal mortgage guarantor requested “a copy of the letter from Yukon Territorial Government confirming they have approved your operation.“

What the YTG has requested from YOTS is a more detailed budget, “more explicit” data showing a need for the service, a “gap analysis” identifying shortcomings in existing services, proof that staff possessing proper credentials would deliver programming, endorsement from two of the three “urban First Nations” that gives “some indication” of a desire to contribute funding, a letter of endorsement from Indian Affairs, one from the CMHC committing to the grant to purchase the guest house and another from the City of Whitehorse indicating that the zoning is appropriate.

In addition to providing shelter, Angels’ Nest would offer drug and alcohol addiction counselling, job search and permanent accommodation search assistance.

“A project of this magnitude with a funding request of some $1.4 million requires considerable due diligence and analysis,“ wrote Stuart Whitley, deputy minister of Health and Social Services.

But according to Durrant, who provided the Star with a copy of the YOTS proposal, much of that information is contained therein.

“We’ve already given them the zoning map ... it’s zoned for Residential Downtown 2 that includes temporary shelter services,“ said Durrant. “The government had all this information months ago; why didn’t they come to us before this?“

Both Whitley and Health and Social Services Minister Glenn Hart were unavailable for comment as of press time early this afternoon.

Ruth Massie, chief of the Ta’an Kwach’an Council, disagrees that the government does not have much of the information it’s requesting, such as the case for the shelter itself.

“There definitely is a need and documentation to support that,“ Massie told the Star.

“If (the government) had no intentions of funding this, they should’ve said so right at the get go instead of making Vicki jump through all these hoops unnecessarily ... I’m really disappointed they have left this to the 11th hour.“

In 2005, the Whitehorse Planning Group on Homelessness released a $39,000 study on youth homelessness that listed a youth shelter for the capital as its top recommendation.

Massie added that the Ta’an Kwach’an has offered verbal support, written a letter indicating the same, is willing to take on some of the funding burden and that the YTG is obligated to acquiesce as it holds federal money in trust for aboriginal self-government implementation and service provision.

“Presently the YTG receives funding for first nations and we let them know in a meeting that they can extend our money to the need, which is Angels’ Nest,“ she said.

“And once (the shelter) is established and has a history to it, maybe we can assist them to get that funding on a regular basis.“

Without a dedicated emergency youth shelter in Whitehorse, homeless youth can access the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre’s “outreach program” that provides temporary shelter, beds and counselling for homeless youth.

Rooms for the program are located at the detox centre, women’s shelter and, as a last resort, at local hotels.

While Skookum Jim’s program caters to youth aged 17-20, Angels’ Nest would be available for those aged 18-24.