Whitehorse Emergency Shelter (WES)

Connective, in partnership with the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN), independently assumed management and operations of the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter on October 1, 2022.

Connective is responsible for property and operations management, including 24/7 on-site staff. CYFN supports in in the provision of culturally appropriate programming and Indigenous Cultural Care. Together with other community partners, Connective and CYFN deliver programming, support, and health services to residents and service users.

Connective has a long history in BC and extensive background in service provision. Partnering with CFYN in the Yukon has allowed us to enhance our learnings as a service provider in the territory and will bring our more than 90 years of experience relevant to the Shelter operations.

With our history of service delivery for people with complex needs and CYFN’s long history of working for the advancement and betterment of Yukon First Nations, we feel this partnership will deliver effective, sustainable, person-centered, and community-informed services to the community of Whitehorse. Connective currently operates more than 600 housing units in the Yukon and British Columbia.

Emergency shelters are temporary places to stay for anyone who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

A typical stay at an emergency shelter includes a bed with linens, hot meals, showers, laundry and support services. It may range from one night to longer stays depending on the needs of service users.

In addition to the shelter beds, there are also permanent housing first units at the Whitehorse Emergency shelter which provide support for some individuals on a longer term basis.

We want to listen and learn from the community so that we can collaboratively work together to identify and address concerns. Our staff will spend the first month working closely with residents and service users, meeting the neighbours, and listening so we can better understand current and future areas of focus. Following this, we will host a series of virtual information sessions so that we can listen and learn from the community to understand how we can work together to address key issues and concerns.

We are committed to supporting and maintaining a safe, welcoming and inclusive community. Where there are direct issues or challenges, we will work collaboratively to ensure that issues are addressed. We will work with law enforcement and identify ways we can ensure the shelter and immediate environment are clean and welcoming.

We want to be good neighbour and we want to support our service users. As such, we want to be part of meaningful community partnerships, while also recognizing that our clients are often not the ones involved in criminal activities, including vandalism.

We all want safe neighbourhoods. If we see vandalism or witness crime in our neighbourhood, we will work with the RCMP to address these issues.

Our approach is low barrier, which includes a harm reduction approach. This means that we meet people where they are and help them manage risks associated with substance use. We believe by being open, non-judgmental and taking a housing-first and health approach we can best support people in reducing the barriers they experience in their day-to-day life.

Many people who access the shelter experience multiple barriers, including concurrent disorders (co-occurring mental health issues and lived experience with substance use). Concurrent disorders are a significant health issue, and result in people facing multiple challenges and barriers to accessing basic human needs, treatment, and care.

Connective’s expertise is with wrap-around, person-centered, and holistic approaches that work to address some of the behaviours that arise along with compassion and understanding for people living with these challenges.