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Salvation Army rescues Iqaluit homeless shelter

New managers hope to unite support services

GREG YOUNGER-LEWIS

Garry Jones is the new manager of Iqaluit's Oqota shelter. He says that the current building's lack of space creates tension between clients. "There's no elbow room here. They're right on top of each other." (PHOTO BY GREG YOUNGER-LEWIS)

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The Salvation Army, a southern-based Christian missionary group, took over Iqaluit's homeless shelter on March 31, when the former managing group, the Illitiit Society, moved out. Nunavut's Minister for Homelessness Ed Picco said his department picked the group after opening the service to competition earlier this year.

The transition marked a bitter departure for the Illitiit Society, which left after the Nunavut Housing Corp. terminated a lease they had donated. At the time, the Illitiit Society said they were $30,000 in debt and having trouble paying its staff because of delays in federal funding.

Picco said the shelter will eventually change locations, and he's confident the territorial government will help out with funding, when the time comes.

"The shelter itself seems to have met its lifespan," Picco said. "It's outlived its usefulness."

In Picco's view, the new shelter would be a one-stop venue for the needs of the homeless. Currently, Iqaluit's poor and homeless shuttle between the soup kitchen, the food bank, the shelter, and various government offices for support.

Capt. Ron McLean, chairman of Iqaluit's soup kitchen, said previously that his group and the food bank are looking for their own venue together. McLean believes they wouldn't be able to find a building big enough to comfortably house the homeless, and offer the other services.

If the shelter moves, it won't happen for at least four months. Picco has asked the Salvation Army staff to survey the homeless about shelter operations and conduct an audit of costs until August. Then his department will put out a request for proposals to run the shelter, possibly in a new building.

The Salvation Army is currently proposing to move to Iqaluit's former drug and alcohol counselling centre.

Bill Riddell, chair of the Illitiit Society, said he supports the potential move, if it leads to a shelter specifically for homeless women and families.

But he cautions that new programming shouldn't copy what homeless already find at the Tukisigiarvik drop-in centre.

"When we ran the shelter, we closed it [during the day] with the specific idea of getting the homeless out and involved in the community," Riddell said.

"Homeless people need to be normalized, not ghettoized."

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