N.W.T. on-the-land camp 'a good thing' for some, but its future funding remains unclear

A temporary on-the-land camp in the N.W.T. is providing a safe space for someYellowknife residents, but the program's future is still unclear.

The territorial government announced the camp in November, saying it was intended as a way to "alleviate pressure" on Yellowknife's shelter system, after many non-profits warned there could be asevere shortage of beds this winter.

Non-profit organization Northwest Territories Integration and Community Services was chosen by the territorial government to run the 10-week program, receiving $642,000 in funding. Of the funding, $635,000 was provided by the federal government and $7,000 was provided by the territorial government.

The camp is located at Camp Connections, a 45-minute drive away from Yellowknife along the IngrahamTrail. No drugs or alcohol are allowed at the camp, and all attendees are required to be completely sober for at least three days prior to arriving.

It opened on Nov. 12, and is currently funded to run until mid-January.

The N.W.T. government said there is a chance the funding could be extended based on "need, site availability, continued funding, and possible alternative shelter options for those in need."

'A good thing'

Tiffany Thrasher, who arrived at the camp around two weeks ago, said she would like to stay "as long as the funding keeps coming in" and hopes the on-the-land camp will be open beyond January.

"Coming here, with food 24/7, with a fire, and an actual roof over my head is a blessing," she said.

Thrasher, 28, struggles with addiction and a history of trauma. Prior to coming to the on-the-land camp, she was homeless for over six months. This summer, she was staying at an encampment in downtown Yellowknife, where she said she was regularly exposed to drugs and violence, and ended up developing a severe foot infection for which she was hospitalized.

While at the camp, she has been able to be sober and care for her mental health, and she worries she could lose that progress without some kind of stable housing.

"I don't want to live in a tent again," she said. "I am afraid to go out there. Because when [you] use you tend to lose your mind, you tend to lose hope. And when you're homeless it's easy to give in."

Carlena Mantla, who has been at the camp since it opened, also said its been a positive experience.

"When I got here it seemed like they weren't sure what they were here for, or what their plans were," she said. "But slowly as the days [went] by, it started to become something, more of a good thing for each one of us that were there."

"Being out here in the bush, it brings me a lot of spirituality," she added.

N.W.T. Integration & Community Servicesdirector Eric Neba said his organization would be interested in continuing the on-the-land camp beyond January if they can obtain funding.

"There is a need, there is a value for the camp," he said, adding thatwhile working at other non-profits, he found services offered in Yellowknife don't always work for Indigenous clients.

"They are people who are used to nature, so bringing up a program like this is actually, you know, very valuable for their safety and for their healing process."

Who qualifies to attend on-the-land camp

Anyone who would like to come to the camp submits an application, which is reviewed by a committee of service providers in Yellowknife mostly to get an opinion on if the applicant will be able to maintain sobriety. Neba said some applications have been denied, but no one who got to the camp has been asked to leave.

"We're looking at people who are sober, more or less, who are willing to take the next step, you know, in their lives," Neba explained.

The camp has counselling twice a week, and traditional activities three times a week.Itcan house up to 30 people, but Neba told reporters last week that the maximum number they have had so far is 16.

Concerns about eligibility, cost

Those who run two of Yellowknife's emergency shelters have expressed concern about the cost and accessibilityof the on-the-land camp.

Tony Brushett is the director of the Yellowknife Salvation Army, which operates a men's shelter in Yellowknife.

He has also been among the most vocal advocates for more shelter and housing options in Yellowknife, after the Salvation Army saw an increase in overcrowding and shelter violence last year.

He said he and others at the Salvation Army had been asking for a temporary shelter where there would be support for those who struggle the most in traditional shelters, including those facing severe mental health or addictions crises but he said those shelter users generally can't qualify for the on-the-land camp.

As a result, he said the Salvation Army has been mostly under-capacity this winter, but they are still seeing an elevated level of shelter violence compared to every year except last year.

"We're not equipped to deal with people coming in going through a mental health crisis or sometimes a drug induced crisis," he said, adding that Yellowknife currently doesn't have a shelter where people in crisis can get that support.

Brushett said the on-the-land camp is also getting more funding than shelters in Yellowknife.

With $642,000 for 10 weeks, the on-the-land camp would cost about $300 per person per night if full. But on a night like last Tuesday, where there were 10 people at the camp, that number would come out to over $900.

Brushett saidthe Salvation Army only gets between $70 or $80 a night per person to run their shelter, in contrast which is not enough to cover their costs.

"It (the on-the-land camp)just doesn't seem to me like it is the best option," he said.

The Yellowknife Women's Society was originally involved in talks with the N.W.T. government on how to create short-term solutions to Yellowknife's shelter crisis, but has decided not to sit on the committee for theon-the-land camp.

Renee Sanderson, the executive director at Yellowknife Women's Society, declined an interview, but confirmed she had originally been advocating for a program where more intensive support for attendees such as accredited withdrawal management would be available.

Tiffany Thrasher said that if the on-the-land camp closes in January, she is hoping to get into a trauma healing program.

"I might go down south if I do not get a place here in Yellowknife, and that makes me sad because I don't want to leave home," she said.