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The Gahcho Kué Mine is partnering with the Anglo American Group Foundation and the NWT Housing Corporation to fund and support a large-scale renovation of the Yellowknife Women’s Society shelter, with the goal of providing safety and stability for one of Yellowknife’s most vulnerable populations.
The commitment will see $250,000 from the Anglo American Foundation, more than $60,000 from Gahcho Kué Mine in kind through the reallocation of a project manager from the mine, and $350,000 from the NWT Housing Corporation. The funding was announced in Yellowknife on June 6.
The project will create permanent, supportive housing including 24-hour staff support, so that women can improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and access trauma and addiction treatment services. The renovation will see 16 single-room occupancy bedrooms constructed to replace the current floor plan of multi-occupant rooms and overflow beds in open spaces. A doctor’s office and a nurse’s office are also being added, while the kitchen and common areas will undergo a complete rebuild, including brand new commercial-quality appliances.
“We at De Beers Group are excited to see this get started. We know the renovated shelter will enhance the care and support of those who need to avail of the space and services provided here,” said Allan Rodel, Head of Operations, De Beers Group Managed Operations.
“It is our hope that the women who find themselves in need of this critical support will be able to emerge from their experience here healthier, and empowered, so we can all benefit as a society from their strength.”
According to the Yellowknife Women’s Society, women become homeless for a variety of reasons, but most often due to family and intimate partner violence, substance use disorder, or displacement from their small communities to larger centres like Yellowknife in search of employment, health care, or social services.
“These changes will allow for the shelter to focus more of their energy on the actual individuals and addressing their needs that bring them to the shelter. The project will create permanent, supportive housing for sixteen women so that women they can improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and access trauma and addiction treatment services. The goal of the project is to address women’s homelessness by increasing their stability within the Centre, and possibly allowing them to move on to less intensive supportive housing,” said Bree Denning, Executive Director, Yellowknife Women’s Society.
“This shared living configuration supports women who prefer to have common spaces where they can interact with others, as opposed to experiencing the isolation that can sometimes exist in the private rental market,” said Alfred Moses, Minister Responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation and for Addressing Homelessness. Read Minister's Statement in Legislative Assembly.
“This project is an exciting example of how a good corporate citizen, like De Beers, can work with governments and non-governmental organizations to help make our communities places more people can call home.”
The renovations will allow women to rent rooms using income support, help recipients build a rental and credit history, which is a major step towards gaining financial independence, critical to eventually being able to rejoin society and move on from trauma.
During the renovation, clients will be relocated to a temporary shelter facility. It’s hoped the renovation will be complete by October of this year.
Gahcho Kué Mine is located 280 km northeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. The mine is a joint venture between De Beers Group (51% - the Operator) and Mountain Province Diamonds (49%).