Yellowknife healing camp to offer breakfast to people in need

Starting Tuesday, the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation's healing camp in Yellowknife will be open for tea, coffee and breakfast by 7 a.m. as part of a four-month pilot project.

The project is a partnership between the foundation and the City of Yellowknife.

Donald Prince, executive director of the foundation and healing camp, said the idea is to give people on the street a better way to start their days.

"We want to provide an opportunity for somebody to come out and have some tea and some coffee and have some breakfast," Prince said, "and just get away from downtown and perhaps look at their day a little differently and say, "Hey, I'm going to do something different or at least start [the] day in a different way."

The camp is built in the bush behind the Yellowknife Fieldhouse sport complex a short distance from downtown, and was opened in April 2018.

Prince said there is nothing for homeless people to do downtown early in the morning other than "hang around on the street," which can set them up for bad choices.

Camp counsellors will be available starting 7 a.m. Tuesday, and every weekday following. A traditional counsellor will be downtown early in the morning to offer people a safe ride to the camp, if they want. 

"It's … about just giving them an opportunity to get away from downtown and to make some different choices," Prince said.

"The city feels this is a great pilot project," stated Mayor Rebecca Alty in a press release Thursday.

"It's an opportunity for individuals experiencing homelessness to participate in cultural activities, sharing circles and, if so inclined, to speak with an Elder or access traditional counselling."

The project is funded for four months, but Prince hopes it will last for at least a year. He said that's how long it takes to determine if something like this is working or not.