Status of Women committee  Thank you. Hello, my name is Samantha Lacourse, and I am here as a representative of the Victoria Faulkner Women's Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon. At the VFWC, I am in charge of running the only low-barrier evening and weekend drop-in program for self-identified women in the enti

Status of Women committee  Thank you. I'll slow down. The lens of what long-term support looks like must expand beyond the counselling and trauma treatment programs to include programs that give space for women to support and be supported by peers, as well as space to build community as a remedy for isola

Status of Women committee  To be honest, I feel I wouldn't do it justice in speaking specifically to the situation with INAC. There are a lot of complex and very evident barriers in terms of the disconnect for individuals who are coming from the Yukon and trying to access services through INAC. It's like n

Status of Women committee  Yes.

Status of Women committee  Yes, of course. What I can speak to is that 90-day waiting period and what it means for a woman trying to access social assistance. We have one shelter in Whitehorse. They do their best. They have a 30-day emergency shelter, basically, where you can get a bed and you can stay fo

Status of Women committee  It's that gap. There are 60 days there when they—

Status of Women committee  Yes, and I have—

Status of Women committee  Yes.

Status of Women committee  Sure. That's a great question. I can really highlight some major issues with that. There's a 2% vacancy rate in housing in Whitehorse at the moment. It's a crisis. People with money cannot get housing. It creates a real challenge for folks who are on social assistance. In terms

Status of Women committee  Yes. In part, the housing navigator is responsible for that leeway program. It gives time to folks who get their cheques a bit later from INAC and can't keep the housing because it's not the first of the month when they get that cheque. Or if they need support in dealing with lan

Status of Women committee  Mobility is a challenge, even within our centre and at the shelter in Whitehorse. I can't speak for the shelter in Whitehorse, but it's a communal living situation and it's several storeys high with an elevator. If you have a mobility challenge and there is an emergency, that wou