Yukon non-profit says new plan aims to cut homelessness in half in two years

By Gabrielle Plonka 

A Yukon non-profit says its new action plan aims to cut homelessness by 50 per cent by 2028.

“We felt that was both a realistic and a challenging goal,” said Maddie Porter, the community action plan coordinator with the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition.

The non-profit released the 112-page action plan, dubbed “A Place to Be: Community Action to End Homelessness” on Thursday.

It says more than 80 per cent of people experiencing homelessness have been unhoused for more than six months, and require coordinated support to maintain housing. First Nations people are “significantly overrepresented” as a result of colonization and the ongoing impact of residential schools, the report says.

The plan aims to create more permanent housing, strengthen drop-in services outside emergency shelters and create interim housing options for people leaving treatment, corrections and care. 

The plan has 29 action items in total. Executive director Kate Mechan said some items don’t cost anything — recognizing the territory is facing “some fiscal challenges” — but they require governments and non-profits to work together.

The plan is a revitalization of an earlier version released in 2017.

“We are, as a community, seeing a greater influx of individuals experiencing homelessness,” Mechan said. “This framework really helps us hold each other to account in a better way.”

Porter said the Hearth, a supportive housing project slated for completion at the end of June, is already expected to reduce homelessness by 30 per cent.

Porter says a detailed plan is needed to reach the goal of 50 per cent.

“Homelessness is a complex issue,” Porter said, adding it inherently involves multiple governments and non-profits. 

“If we’re not all working together, we end up working at odds or in parallel.”

Related stories from around the North :

Canada: Multi-year funding ‘transformative’ for N.W.T. organizations focused on homelessness, CBC News