Indigenous-owned temporary housing facility for women and children opens in Whitehorse

The Council of Yukon First Nations has finished work on a new temporary housing facility for Indigenous women and children in Whitehorse, and expects to welcome the first clients next week.

The 15,000-square-foot facility in the Whistle Bend neighbourhood has 10 apartment-style units, with up to 32 beds and is the first such facility in the territory to be Indigenous-owned. Visitors can stay there for up to 90 days.

The Family Preservation Wellness Centre is intended to be "a safe place to stay where women and children are provided with meals and access to supportive culturally-relevant programming," including support in finding permanent housing, according to CYFN's website.

Shadelle Chambers, executive director for CYFN, said it's not being called a "shelter." 

"I think we heard loud and clear that many of our community members and folks that have accessed shelters have a stigma attached to that," she said.

"So we've been very meaningful in referring to this as a wellness centre."

Chambers said it was designed to feel less institutional and more "homey." It was also important to build the facility outside of the city's downtown core, where the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter is located, she said.

"I think there is a bit of a stigma, obviously, with shelters in the downtown space right now. And so we wanted to avoid that stigma and also have a home-like community setting, in a residential subdivision," she said.

Chambers said the location is also close to the new Whistle Bend school, which is important for families who may be staying there.

The facility has been in the works for several years and construction began in 2023. Chambers said funding came from Indigenous Services Canada, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Yukon government.

Speaking at the official opening on Friday, CYFN Grand Chief Peter Johnston celebrated it as a significant achievement.

"Ideally, in a perfect world, we wouldn't need a facility such as this. But today we do have a facility we should be very proud of," Johnston said.

"A lot of the facilities that have been created in the city of Whitehorse, our people aren't welcome still today. And it's still a sad reality, in a lot of cases."

Chambers said the new facility won't meet all the need there is in Whitehorse for safe, affordable housing. She said CYFN is hoping to build more types of supportive and transitional housing