N.W.T. gov't scrapping $100K to family violence shelters, shelters say bring it back

A network of N.W.T. shelters and safe homes is pleading with the territorial government to reinstate a $100,000 fund for training and in-person meetings that's set to end in April. 

The money brings together staff at family violence shelters in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Hay River and Fort Smith, as well as safe homes in Fort Simpson and Fort Good Hope. In a letter tabled in the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly, the shelters say the funding allows staff "to share observations from the front lines" and "debriefing and camaraderie" for members whose work is often emotionally draining.

The government says those meetings can happen virtually.

Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay is the executive director of the YWCA N.W.T., which runs the network. She says the shelters and their clients will be worse off. 

"I honestly feel like by the government taking this away, they're trying to tell us that the shelter sector that supports women and children fleeing violence is not important," she said.  

Dumbuya-Sesay says gathering face to face allows for true collaboration and relationship-building that can't be recreated online. Plus, she says, internet access in smaller communities isn't always stable. 

"So trying to do something for 8 hours on a Zoom meeting, it's not reliable," she said. 

Dumbuya-Sesay said the network has been trying to lobby the Department of Health and Social Services since learning in August about the planned cut. To advocate further, the network brought concerns to Kate Reid, MLA for Great Slave and former president of the YWCA N.W.T. 

"Does the minister believe that in-person connections for a sensitive sector such as this are not necessary?" Reid asked Lesa Semmler, minister of Health and Social Services, in the legislature Thursday.

Semmler said the department supports family violence shelters, but she couldn't justify the $100,000 fund.  

"We have a huge geographic territory and the cost of moving people around in the territory has become significant, and so trauma-informed training can be appropriate for virtual environments," Semmler said. 

The minister said the territory invests $3.85 million annually into the five family violence shelters. 

She acknowledged that organizations like the YWCA N.W.T. can always use more money to support their work and so can all non-government organizations (NGOs) across the territory. 

"We are continuing to find ways to work together with NGOs and to support them, but however, this is the funding that has been allocated for this year," Semmler said. 

The N.W.T. legislative assembly reconvenes on February 25 where MLAs will continue budget deliberations.