Town of Inuvik is asking: Should the Inuvik warming centre relocate?

As the lease on the John Wayne Kiktorak Warming Centre is set to expire by December, the town of Inuvik has a decision to make.

Community members questioned in the past about whether the centre, which is located downtown across from East Three Secondary and Elementary schools, is in the right location.

"Throughout the year we've heard different comments or different suggestions from people," said Inuvik Mayor Natasha Kulikowski. "It's definitely something that has come from residents."

The building is actually owned by the town of Inuvik.

According to senior administrative officer Grant Hood, the building on Berger Street has been leased to the Inuvik Emergency Warming Centre Society since February 2016.

Previously, Inuvik's wet shelter had a handful of other temporary homes including the Anglican Church.

Mayor Kulikowski said the topic has been brought up recently at town council, and the town is in the process of seeing if there are any other lands available for the building to move to, or if any other spare town-owned buildings could be used.

We don't want the shelter to go away.- Natasha Kulikowski, mayor of Inuvik

She said concerns raised at council includes some of the violence seen, and intoxicated people in the downtown area.

"That's not to blame the centre for that. This is an ongoing issue we've had in Inuvik for a very long time," said Kulikowski.

She said they acknowledge that "changing the location will not fix the social issues"  the town is experiencing.

"But when it comes to being in the sightline and basically smacked between the school and the nearest convenience store, there's youth and teenagers being exposed to things they otherwise maybe wouldn't be exposed to if it was in a different spot," she said.

The centre, which can take in people struggling with addiction, serves about 12 to 14 people a day.

In 2016, it was named after Inuvik volunteer firefighter John Wayne Kiktorak, who passed away in 2015.

He was homeless at the time of his death, and his body was discovered on the ski trail in Inuvik on Christmas Day.

Kulikowski said the town realizes how critical the centre is for community members in Inuvik who may be struggling.

"The most important part is that these folks that don't have a place to sleep have a warm place to sleep every night and a hot meal," Kulikowski said.

"What it comes down to is making sure that people are safe."

Inuvik resident Jonathon Michel has lived in Inuvik for 12 years, and has seen the impact that the centre has had on the community.

"I think that any decision about the centre needs to come from a place of support and [concern for the] dignity and well-being of the folks that use the centre," said Michel.

Michel said he hopes  the town and warming centre seek guidance from experts that "work within communities that address social issues like homelessness, before making such a big decision on behalf of people that are supported by the centre."

CBC reached out to representatives of the John Wayne Kiktorak Centre for comment, but was told they will be having a meeting on the subject this week, and would like to wait.

Mayor Kulikowski wants to make it clear that "the town is not looking to oust" the centre, and encourages any community members who may have a piece of property that could work for the warming centre or any ideas to help, to reach out.

"We don't want to see the shelter go away. We do realize the value of what is happening there," Kulikowski said. "It's just the location is not ideal at this point."