The federal and territorial governments have formally announced they are providing money to bring nine or more new “affordable” homes online and renovate a shelter intended for women, non-binary people and children fleeing violence and abuse in Whitehorse.
“We know, though, that we still have a housing crisis across the country, and Yukon is part of that crisis, particularly of affordability,” Yukon MP Brendan Hanley told reporters at a press conference on Aug. 30.
“There’s more that we need to do at every level of government.”
The conference took place in a back lane behind Kaushee’s Place, where upgrades are already happening and expected to be done by June 2024.
The $3.2 million combined from the two levels of government for the shelter includes $2.9 million from the feds and the remainder from the Yukon government including ongoing operating funding. Rennovations to the shelter include insulating and ventilating the building, installing a water-source heat-pump system and solar panels, removing oil-fired heating and work on bathrooms and the kitchen.
The shelter has five transition homes offered on a rent-to-income basis and 18 shelter beds at no cost. Capacity won’t change as a result of the renovations.
Kaushee’s Place took in 460 women and hundreds of children in 2022, according to executive director Michelle Parsons, who attended the official announcement.
In December 2020, the News reported two Yukon women’s shelters have seen an uptick in reported violence during the pandemic.
A recent letter from federal Justice Minister Arif Virani to Ontario’s chief coroner calls gender-based violence an “epidemic” that “has no place in our country.” The letter comes in response to recommendations out of an inquiry into three women — Carol Culleton, Nathalie Warmerdam and Anastasia Kuzyk — killed in a rural county west of Ottawa in September 2015. Basil Borutski, the man who killed them, had a criminal history of violence against women.
The federal government is also funnelling $5 million through the “rapid housing initiative” to the Yukon Housing Corporation, on behalf of the City of Whitehorse, to create at least nine new “affordable” homes in the city. The initiative is run by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation under the national housing strategy.
Premier Ranj Pillai, who is the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation, pointed to some key indicators in response to the News’ question about how much of a dent the money will make in the housing crisis.
Pillai told reporters the waitlist for housing is down to 251 from nearly double that of a year and a half ago. He said not everyone on that list is homeless.
“What we’re seeing is the cost to build is extraordinary. I think that’s really important for people to understand,” Pillai said.
“I think that when we look at rapid housing, when we look at the funding that comes in through our co-investment fund, when we look at the partnership, we know that we’ve built, I think, almost 700 units right now. I think it’s 694. But we’ve built more affordable housing units in the last five years than we saw in the last decade before.”
Pillai said the rate of new homes (12.9 per cent) is keeping ahead of the territory’s population growth (12.1 per cent).
“Is it making a dent? Yeah, it’s making a dent. Are we seeing a very significant reduction on our waitlist at Yukon housing? Absolutely.”
— With files from Gabrielle Plonka
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
