'Much needed' day shelter set to open in Hay River

A new day shelter is opening in Hay River, N.W.T.

The town's health and social services authority accepted the proposal from the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre for the day shelter on Nov. 23, according to a news release Thursday morning.

The shelter, inside the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre, will operate during weekdays to start, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the release.

It's expected to also operate on weekends, as it gets more staff.

It's meant to complement the emergency overnight shelter that opened in the fall with help from the Hay River Comittee for Persons with Disabilities inside the Kujat Building on Industrial Drive.

That shelter runs from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., which still leaves a "long day" of wandering downtown, according to Lillian Crook, president of the Hay River Committee for Persons with Disabilities, in a previous interview with CBC News.

As well, Crook said being back on the street means a possible relapse for those struggling with addiction. 

The new day shelter will provide basic services, including warmth from the cold, food and washrooms, and will be a place to rest during the day for around 15 to 20 people, the news release says. There will also be access to programs and wellness workers.

"With colder climate approaching, we are very pleased to be able to provide this service to members of our community without a place to go during the day," Erin Griffiths, CEO of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, said in a statement.

"We are very grateful for our community partners who have stepped forward to provide this much needed service."