Shelter funds boosted

Iqaluit’s homeless shelter will receive a $60,000 boost in federal funding managed by the city, to help pay for repairs to its new location.

That brings the city’s total contribution to $315,000. The money actually comes from two different federal programs, and will help pay off work done to bring the building up to the fire code.

The Salvation Army has run the Oqota shelter since April 2005.

Men will move into the new location on Friday, Jan. 27. It’s a larger building that can hold 20 beds, up from 14. That means they’ll have to turn fewer people away during cold winter nights, said manager Garry Jones.

The old building will return to the Government of Nunavut and become low-income housing, Jones said.