Agvvik Society and YWCA negotiating purchase of downtown house

Iqaluit could have a new shelter for homeless women by as early as February if an offer to purchase a house in town is successful.

It won't serve primarily as an emergency shelter but there may be emergency beds set aside, depending on configuration and need, Caroline Anawak said.

Anawak is the new executive director of the Baffin Regional Agvvik Society, which operates the Qimaavik transition home in Apex, and executive director of the city's fledgling YWCA chapter.

The two groups are working together on the women's homeless shelter project.

Anawak did not identify the location of the house, pending the outcome of an offer to purchase, but said it is owned by "a big company" and is located downtown, close to the hospital, schools and shopping.

The new facility would be smaller than the current 21-bed Qimaavik shelter in Apex, Anawak says. The house has six bedrooms, capable of accommodating a minimum of 10 people, she said.

The purchase would be funded by a $300,000 grant from Service Canada, channeled through Iqaluit city council to the YWCA, with additional dollars pledged from the Nunavut Department of Education and the YWCA in Yellowknife.

Those latter amounts are not confirmed yet, and will depend on the eventual price of the house, which is still under negotiation.

The Yellowknife YWCA has arranged to mortgage its current facilities there to back the Iqaluit purchase, Anawak said.

She said the project has been in the works for quite a while, and that organizers looked at 28 properties while waiting for final approval on funding.

The new shelter will be known as Sivummut House, which means "moving forward" in English, Anawak said.

Sheila Levy, Qimaavik's acting chair, said the Qimaavik shelter for victims of violence already gets a lot of homeless people seeking shelter.

But their needs are very different than the needs of women fleeing violence, Levy said.

Women and children at Qimaavik must be protected from violent partners, for example, while women who are homeless are able to have visitors, both female and male.

"It's important to meet the needs of both groups," Levy said.

While terms of reference are still being developed, the new shelter will potentially be open to all women who are at risk of being homeless, including those with children, said Anawak.

They will have to commit to being part of the extended family of the shelter household, she explained, including staying clean and sober, respecting others and sharing chores.

The shelter will also offer life-skills courses and related programs for the women living there.

Some people think homelessness is not an issue for women, said Levy.

"But that's not true. They may go from relative to relative, sleeping on couches."

The effects of homelessness can be horrific for the family unit, Anawak said. Children may not get enough food, be forced to move from school to school, and have no place to study.

"People need a place of stability and where they can feel safe," she said.