The emergency youth shelter will be moving from the Sarah Steele building to another downtown location this December, the Yukon government announced this week.
The new shelter will have four bedrooms, with the potential for six beds, said Pat Living, spokesperson for health and social services in an email.
Youth ages 17 and up will be eligible to use the shelter, said Living. There is a maximum age requirement for who can use the shelter. That cut-off age is usually 24, said Living.
While the government will fund the project, the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre will run the services.
The new shelter will better fit the youths’ needs, said Doug Bishop, president of the friendship centre. Right now, the youth shelter is housed in the same building as the detox centre. The government has been working for some time to find a new youth shelter, said Living.
“Because it meets our own belief and our mandate, we were receptive to providing service under the Yukon government,” said Bishop.
The centre is still developing the programs that will be offered at the shelter. But the goal is to connect the shelter services with other programs currently being offered at the centre, said Bishop.
The centre hopes to build partnerships with other agencies and the government to better address youths’ needs, said Delilah Pillai, executive director of the friendship centre.
The location for the shelter has not been announced yet. The Yukon Housing Corporation will be providing the facilities.